


Sanditon: Conclusion of the Race

by MeaSS



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:14:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 46,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27715285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeaSS/pseuds/MeaSS
Summary: A despondent Charlotte leaves Willingden for a season in London. There she will meet familiar faces once again and make some new acquaintances as well.When she meets Sidney Parker once again, how will things unfold?HEA guaranteed.This is my first time writing fan fiction but the sisterhood is so supportive, I decided to share it!#ConclusionFic
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker, Eliza Campion/Sidney Parker, Lord Babington/Esther Denham, Mary Parker/Tom Parker (Sanditon)
Comments: 454
Kudos: 460





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into anything like this. I have been holding onto this for a bit and decided to post. Which makes me extremely nervous, but hey, if I have one reader and they enjoy it, then all is well!

Chapter 1

On her last morning in Willingden, Charlotte Heywood lay in the tall grass, completely hidden from view, with her eyes closed. The feeling of the early morning sun warming her eyelids being the only feeling of warmth on the chilly morning. Just as any other time she had closed her eyes the past few weeks, she saw a figure, one that took shape more and more the longer she had her eyes closed. This repeating occurrence explained why she had been getting little sleep. Her restlessness gave way to vivid daydreams and sleep was often so far off that she could not take it any longer and forced her eyes open. This morning was no different. She wrenched her eyes open and sat up so abruptly she was made aware of several nearby woodland creatures scurrying off, being none the wiser of her presence. She did not blame them for running off, she was not enjoyable company these past few weeks, despite her best efforts. Which is why, when a letter arrived a week ago, Charlotte jumped at the opportunity presented in its contents and her family was also a touch eager to see her go. They all loved Charlotte dearly, but the Charlotte Heywood that had returned from Sanditon some weeks ago was not the Charlotte they knew. Therefore, when the invitation from Lady Susan to spend the season with her in London presented itself, none of the family had many objections to the prospect. The Heywoods hoped that London would alleviate Charlotte’s despondency and not add to it, therefore, they were quite anxious to see her go.

Charlotte stood, brushed her skirts off, realizing the morning dew had made more of a mess than she realized. She walked back to the Heywood estate and went immediately to change into her travelling clothes, a coach would be there shortly to take her to London. Her family, being quite used to Charlotte’s early morning walks and hunts from long before her trip to Sanditon, were not surprised to find her in wet, somewhat dirty skirts, rushing in to change and cutting it quite close to the expected arrival time of the carriage. Her family helped her gather her belongings and when the unmistakable sound of a carriage approaching was heard, she was tying the ribbon on her bonnet and saying her final goodbyes with tears in her eyes. She would miss her family and she knew she owed it to them to try and return after her season in London more herself. She held onto Allison’s hand as she made her final steps to the carriage. Allison had been kind and not been too probing with her questions upon her return, allowing Charlotte to tell her the reasons for her more quiet, contemplative mood in her own time. When Charlotte felt she could make it through the story without crying, late one night, she confessed it all. Tears did come, unbidden, falling down her cheeks throughout, but she made it through all the details nonetheless. Allison let the words sink in for a few moments and simply responded, “What an idiot.”  
Charlotte, surprising herself, choked out a laugh, feeling as if she had never laughed before it had become so foreign to her these past few weeks. Once the surprise of the laughter was gone, she asked her sister in return, “Who?”  
Allison closed her mouth and squinted a bit before responding, “There are quite a few idiots in that tale, aren’t there?”  
Charlotte could not stand the thought of Allison hating Sidney, so she responded, “I understand why he did what he did.” Allison started to speak, but Charlotte continued, “That does not mean that I do not feel anger and yes, sometimes that anger is directed at Sidney, but he is a good man, Allison. He sacrificed his happiness as well.”  
Allison was quiet, almost glaring at her sister and finally said, “Tom, then. We’ll settle on Tom. He shall receive all my ire.” After which they both laughed. Allison was thrilled to hear her sister laugh once again and to see a genuine smile on Charlotte’s face.

Allison was sure that Charlotte was remembering this conversation as she stepped into the carriage still holding onto Allison’s hand as a smirk and a light laugh came from Charlotte. Their joined hands a promise, Charlotte will be fine and not to worry about her, Allison finally let go and let out a sigh, for she knew her sister to be strong and resilient. Allison watched the carriage leave, not taking her eyes off of the carriage for quite a while, for she had a feeling that the Charlotte that would be returning to them in some odd weeks would be even more different than the one that had just departed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte arrives in London.

Chapter 2

Charlotte arrived outside of Lady Susan’s estate and merely froze. There were a number of factors that caused this reaction. The grandeur of the estate being the first and the sudden realization that running into Sidney Parker while in London was quite possible was the second. Naturally, this thought ran through her mind as soon as she had read Lady Susan’s letter, but being here, in London, seeing people passing on the street, she was struck anew with the very real possibility of seeing Sidney again and interacting with him, most likely with his fiance by his side. Though, she had received another letter while at home in Willingden from Georgiana that stated that Sidney Parker did not spend much time in London and had been spending most of his time in Sanditon, much to his fiance’s dissatisfaction and Georgiana’s annoyance. In Charlotte’s response, she did not address this information nor did she ask after Mr. Parker and the remaining letters from Georgiana were notably absent of Parker family details, much to Charlotte’s relief. 

She glanced outside the carriage window and then quickly averted her sight back to her clasped hands in her lap. She saw a number of faces and for fear of seeing one she might recognize, she stared at her hands and just as she had said before when newly arrived in London, Charlotte whispered determinedly, “Courage, Charlotte.”

The door was opened for her and she stepped out, placing her feet firmly on the ground and enjoying the feeling of finally being out of the carriage. She looked up at the estate once again and it was so large it seemed to swallow the sky. As the estate swallowed the sight of the sky, Charlotte struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. At that precise moment, the front doors were flown open and none other than Lady Susan stood and seemed to skip down the few steps to greet Charlotte, taking Charlotte by surprise to see such an elegant woman excitedly skip down stairs to greet someone.

“My dear Charlotte, how happy I am that you are here. Now, come, we have much to discuss.”

Just like that, Charlotte’s nerves were swallowed up by the warmth of Lady Susan. Though, she was not looking forward to the discussion she felt Lady Susan was most eager to hear.

As Charlotte’s belongings were brought upstairs, Lady Susan, linked arm in arm with Charlotte, brought her into the drawing room.

“I know that you would probably like to freshen up from your journey, Charlotte, but I have waited long to hear from you and your response to my invitation was light on a certain subject. Now, tell me, what is the meaning of a certain Mr. Parker’s engagement? I have some thoughts, but I need to hear yours.” Susan sat in a chair near the fireplace and Charlotte stayed standing, not quite ready to be seated again so soon after her journey.

Charlotte took a deep breath before responding, “Oh, has Arthur become engaged? I had not heard.”

Susan merely gave a half smirk, knowing that Charlotte was joking and that she would soon divulge what she wanted to hear.

“Fine.” Charlotte sat down now, suddenly feeling fatigued, whether from the journey or the weight of this subject, she was not sure. “I imagine you have since heard of the fire in Sanditon…” She regaled Susan with the details, holding nothing back because it felt good to unburden herself to someone who had been witness to part of her story with Sidney. Someone who truly spurred Charlotte on and made her confront her true feelings for Sidney the night of the ball when they had first met.

Susan listened intently and upon the conclusion of Charlotte’s story, she grabbed Charlotte’s hand and said, “My dear, I am so sorry. Though, my feelings are much the same as they were at the end of the regatta, the race is not yet run.”

Charlotte sighed and opened her mouth to speak, ready to say that she had made peace with the situation, however, Susan interrupted her.

“Charlotte, I know, I know. You are resolved to move on, you wish him to be happy in his engagement with Mrs. Campion. I know you, my dear. Though, I think you fail to see the true depth of Sidney’s feelings for you. You may wish him to be happy, but I don’t think that is entirely possible, not without you.”

Now Charlotte truly felt exhausted. She had been carrying her sadness for many weeks now and she had, at times, pondered Sidney’s true feelings for her. She had imagined many possibilities. Most days, she imagined Sidney falling in love with Mrs. Campion again for he had been in love with her once. While this thought hurt, she had hoped it would be true. She wished for Sidney to be happy. However, there were moments, ones Charlotte tried her best not to allow happen too often, when Charlotte believed that Sidney loved her wholly as she did him and that he would not be happy with Mrs. Campion. She imagined him thinking of her as often as she thought of him, perhaps wishing that all his time spent with Eliza was time spent with Charlotte instead. It was these thoughts that made Charlotte most sad, for herself and Sidney. Sometimes these thoughts would allow Charlotte to see that both have made a sacrifice, though Sidney had some say in the matter.   
Charlotte was not consulted, left heartbroken and went home worse for wear. Sparks of anger rose in these moments. At Tom for his foolishness and Sidney, for not proposing earlier and not considering discussing matters with her to find another solution. She was angry with him, but then she thought how he may be tying himself to a loveless marriage whereas she had the opportunity to find someone else, to fall in love with another. She didn’t know if that was possible, but it was an option for her. Charlotte was utterly exhausted by carrying these burdens and now that Susan had brought all these thoughts to the forefront all at once, Charlotte just wanted to rest.

Sensing Charlotte’s weariness, Susan stood, bringing Charlotte with her and put her arm around her, “You are tired from your journey, go upstairs and rest before dinner. We will talk no more of this today.”

Charlotte did as she was told. When entering her room, Charlotte barely noticed the luxurious room and nearly collapsed on the bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, apparently finally speaking her thoughts of Sidney and having time to think of him with eyes open today meant that, for the first time in quite some time, closing her eyes gave her a reprieve and brought her much needed rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have seen some comments and I will get back to them, I promise! I posted this just today and let me tell you, your kind comments mean the absolute world to me! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter to catch up with Sidney.

Chapter 3

Sidney opened his eyes, knowing sleep would not come easily, once again. He got out of bed and wandered down to his study. Ever the glutton for punishment, he decided to go through all the paperwork he had been poring over for the past few weeks. Some was good news, most was bad news. Sidney read through the letters, the ones declining investments over and over. He threw the papers on his desk and rubbed his eyes. He wished sleep would come more easily, though when sleep did come, it was restless, filled with dreams of her.

He had been working tirelessly to find another solution that would help to free him from his predicament. No matter what he could manage though, he could not break the engagement, that would have to be Eliza. He groaned, exhausted mentally and physically, and rested his head on the back of the chair. Some moments the situation seemed daunting and as if a resolution that would make everyone happy simply was not possible. Though, watching Charlotte ride away in the carriage made him resolute in attempting to find a way out of the engagement and to secure funding.

He could easily imagine how happy he would be if things had turned out how he had wished, had he been able to propose to Charlotte. It was no good to venture down that road, as he knew well from experience from the past few weeks. There were times these last weeks that he was less than proud of, times spent with Crowe that involved too much drink, fights that he could have won but lost because he felt he deserved a few extra punches. Now, he leaned forward, taking a key from a hidden spot on the desk and unlocked the top drawer, fancying a different form of punishment this time. He retrieved what he had been looking for, hidden underneath other important documents and unfolded the paper to read through the contents yet again. He was sure that if words could fade from the amount of times they were read, the words on this parchment would have long since disappeared.

_My Dearest Charlotte,_

_If I wrote to you as often as I think of you, I shall never stop writing, the quill would never leave the paper._

_I see your face everywhere, when my eyes are open and when they are closed. It is when they are closed that the likeness of you is sharpest. I see you on our clifftop walk with your hair blowing in the wind, your eyes unsure, your lips slightly parted. What I would give to go back to that moment and drop to one knee then and there._

_When I think of what has transpired, my heart breaks anew each time and if that is true for you as well, I wish I could be the one to fix it. Seeing as how I am the one who broke your heart, however, I do not see how you could ever forgive me. For I know, I will never be able to forgive myself for the current situation we find ourselves in._

_Charlotte, know that I love you. The cruel twist of fate is that before meeting you, perhaps this situation would not leave me feeling so empty, I had grown accustomed to feeling empty and probably could have continued living that way._

_However, I was not truly living for many years nor am I living now, either. I am only alive in your presence. With you by my side, anything and everything felt possible. That I should find you at this point in my life only to have you ripped away, I fear is a punishment for my past mistakes, of which I thought I had made amends._ _Now I shall live the rest of my life in castigation._

_I do hope that you find happiness. The one comfort in my life is the thought of you being happy. I wish I could be the one by your side, the one to share with you all your laughter and sadness, all your troubles and elation, all your smiles and frowns, your comfort and indignation. How I wish to be the one to wake up next to you each morning and fall asleep with each night. How I wish I could be the one to watch our children run and play while standing by your side._

_I will always love you, Charlotte, never doubt that. I have never felt for anyone else the way I do for you. I hope the image of you never diminishes from my mind, for your image is the balm to my existence. In my mind, and my thoughts, and in my dreams, you will always be my Charlotte, the only woman I have truly loved._

_Yours forever, Sidney Parker_

Sidney sighed deeply, knowing this letter would never be sent, would never be read by anyone but him. He needed to write it though, had to commit his thoughts to paper and he read it often, for he was a masochist, whether it be by the fists of a fellow fighter or the words from his own mind. He folded the letter, placed it in its secure spot, hidden away, closed the drawer and locked it away again. He rose from his desk and went to the chair by the dwindling fire and poured himself a drink. He closed his eyes and there she was, on top of a cliff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and the kind comments!   
> Coming up... Things get a bit more exciting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte and Susan arrive at the Ball

Chapter 4  
Charlotte had to be woken for dinner, having slept soundly. Dinner conversation was light, Susan filling Charlotte in on some of her travels and Charlotte speaking of where she would like to travel.  
As this conversation was winding down, Susan’s face changed, a more somber look came upon her face as she said, “I have several social engagements planned for us this week Charlotte. Tomorrow night we are invited to a ball and I am positively excited that you are to be my guest. It won’t be as dull with you there. I have heard that Mr. Sidney Parker and Mrs. Eliza Campion are currently not in London, so they shall not be there. As for other social engagements while you are here, I can speak of no certainty as to their attendance or not. Mr. Parker is often not in London and Mrs. Campion remains in London most of the time and attends most social gatherings by herself. That is all the more I will speak of the matter, keeping to my promise from earlier.”

Charlotte found that for a moment, she was sad to hear Sidney would not be attending the ball and then with a slight shake of her head, she realized that she would rather him not be in attendance. “I am glad to hear it, Susan. It should be a nice evening.”

“And my dear, I have had a gown made for you that you will look positively radiant in,” Susan confessed. “Please, don’t tell me you don’t deserve it and that it is too much, for once again I know what you were thinking. I plan on spoiling you at least a little bit while you are my guest.”

Susan had correctly guessed Charlotte’s feelings on the matter, so Charlotte smirked, giving up on indeed declaring that she did not deserve that kindness and asked instead, “What color is it?”

Susan smiled and said, “Ah, my dear, you will just have to wait and see.”

\------------

Charlotte had been fitted earlier in the day and now she stood in front of a mirror in her room and spun a little from side to side, truly fascinated by the dress Susan had purchased. It was of a rose gold color and had a sheen to it that caught the light spectacularly which prompted Charlotte to turn from side to side, swaying the skirts, for the effect of the light on the color of the dress was mesmerizing. Her hair was up with loose curls, a few escaping by the sides of her face, and she smiled, excited for the evening. She was happy once again thinking Sidney would not be there, for she wanted to enjoy herself tonight and not have to worry.

Charlotte and Susan arrived fashionably late, for Susan said no one should want to appear over eager. They were announced and a hush fell on the room. Little did Charlotte know, Lady Susan had not been seen in social gatherings for quite some time, a calculated move on her part. Charlotte also was not aware that there was much anticipation about Lady Susan’s guest for the season. Upon descending the stairs into the grand room, many people came forward to greet Lady Susan and were eagerly awaiting to hear more about the unknown Charlotte Heywood. 

Charlotte was overwhelmed and as Susan was approached by more and more guests, Charlotte had found herself on the outer circle of the throng of people. They seemed to lose interest quickly and appeared underwhelmed with Lady Susan’s mysterious guest after they had asked where she was from and of her family and received Charlotte’s nervous replies. They were happy then to ask more of Lady Susan and observe Charlotte from afar to make their own further assumptions. They would sneak second glances and were truly mystified as to why Lady Susan would sponsor such a girl. As she found herself on the outskirts and no longer being engaged in conversation, seeing this as a chance, Charlotte slipped to the side of the room, suddenly wanting room to breathe. She spent time taking in the room, glancing to the dance floor, and then her eyes were drawn to the extravagant decorations throughout.

“I was told to introduce myself to you, Miss Heywood.” 

Charlotte, startled, turned to her side to see a tall man next to her.

He continued, “I’m sorry, I did not mean to startle you but Lady Susan informed me that I had to make myself known to you as she noticed you slip away and said you may need a friend. I am Lord Sutterfield and I am here to offer any assistance you may need, Miss Heywood.” He finished this statement with a slightly mischievous grin.

As he spoke, Charlotte assessed the man standing before her. He was quite tall, and quite handsome. He had light hair that naturally waved and piercing blue eyes along with quite a strong jawline. He was so different from Sidney, she found herself thinking. Sidney had a smolder to his looks whereas this man was more of a jovial handsome. She wondered if he could even look angry with such an amiable face. Charlotte forced herself to stop comparing him to Sidney. By the time he stopped speaking, she focused fully on him again and replied, “Well, Lord Sutterfield, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Though, I assure you, I am doing quite well. I just needed some room to breathe.”

“Well Miss Heywood, I will do my best to not overcrowd you then. I am curious though, what do you make of the gathering this evening?” He had his mischievous grin once more as he peered down at Charlotte.

Charlotte glanced at him, wondering if he was being a tad facetious, and replied, “Lord Sutterfield, I have only been here a short time and am newly arrived in London, so I do not have many experiences in which to compare tonight’s gathering.”

“Then I shall provide my assessment of this gathering for you, Miss Heywood," Lord Sutterfield replied as he took his eyes off of her and surveyed the room around him.

“First, as you have correctly noticed, it is a bit overcrowded, as it is a highly covetable invitation tonight. It is much of the same old, same old, I regret to inform you. Many are here in their finest simply to gossip and be seen. Though, you seem to be a draw of talk tonight, Miss Heywood and I will take a guess that that information does not please you.”

Charlotte pressed her lips together and gave a tight smirk. “No, I do not enjoy being the topic of conversation of strangers and I will admit, the number of eyes upon me so far this evening has made me uncomfortable. I have noticed that since you have approached me, it would appear even more eyes have made it this way. Now, what do you make of that, Lord Sutterfield?” She felt a need to match his playful tone.

Lord Sutterfield was pleased and taken aback by her boldness, “Miss Heywood, I will just say that all eyes are most certainly directed at you. I blend into the walls standing next to you looking the way you do.”

“Lord Sutterfield, I believe the nature of your response and the feigned flattery of which you give me is more of an answer to my question than your reply. I believe that you most likely bring attention wherever you go, whether it be warranted or not, of that I am not sure.”

Lord Sutterfield was speechless, a rare occurrence, and noticed, at that moment, behind Charlotte, an acquaintance was waving him over. He did not wish to leave Charlotte but this person was not to be ignored. Charlotte had sparked a curiosity in him. He knew that if she were a close friend of Lady Susan she would be intriguing, but he was truly surprised by her bold and direct manner of speaking. Lord Sutterfield deeply regretted that he had to leave her side.

“Miss Heywood, I see someone I must go and greet and I can truly say that I am displeased to have to leave your company. Please save a dance for me, for I would like nothing more than to dance with you. And soon. I will collect you for a dance shortly.”

At that he bowed and strode past her, not without turning back to look at her with a smirk and a slight shake of his head, though. Charlotte was once again left alone. Though, not for long, for Susan was soon by her side.

“My dear, I am sorry to have sent Lord Sutterfield your way unexpectedly, though he is mostly harmless. From the way he was looking at you, though, it seems he may be a bit smitten.”

“Oh Susan, please don’t. You know that is the furthest thing from my mind.”

“I know Charlotte, I can not help what I observed from him though. I hope you do dance tonight, for you deserve to have some fun and I am sure he would be a lively dance partner.” Susan smirked and then Charlotte watched as that smirk changed to a grimace as her eyes caught someone approaching. The older woman slowly approaching them reminded Charlotte of Lady Denham, as she had a slow, but determined walk and what appeared to be a possible ever-present frown upon her face. Charlotte felt she was being assessed and stood up straighter and held her chin up.

Susan gently clasped Charlotte’s upper arm and whispered in her ear, “Now, I fear I see someone approaching that I shall save you from, so I will leave you and meet them and steer them in the opposite direction.”

Charlotte sighed in relief and moved towards the middle of the room, still staying near the outer edge and found herself near an open doorway to a separate part of the gathering. There seemed to be much more conversation coming from this other room, her mind taking a moment to balance the music where she currently stood to the chatter behind her. As the voices soon became the prominent sound, she felt herself stiffen, her eyes grow wide, and a slight gasp escaped her. She heard him before she saw him. She would know his voice anywhere, the deep timbre hitting her ears. It was as if she were speaking herself, the way his voice reverberated through her body. She risked a glance over her shoulder and sure enough, there he was. Sidney Parker, looking every bit as handsome as she remembered, though perhaps a tad less confident, his normally self assured look diminished. He sounded restrained, as if the conversation was not one that interested or pleased him. He and his companion were coming closer and she decided she could not stay where she was. She was not sure if he had seen her, but she retreated nonetheless, not being quite ready to meet him. She made her way to a secluded alcove and took several deep breaths. She knew meeting him again while she was in London was a possibility but was assured tonight would not be the night. She took one last steadying breath and made her way back out, heading in the opposite direction of Sidney Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for the kind comments and encouragement!
> 
> How will things unfold now that Charlotte knows Sidney is in attendance? Will she be successful in avoiding him all night?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we have Sidney's arrival to the ball...

Chapter 5

Sidney had woken in his study to a stiff neck and an extinguished fire causing a chill in the room. This was becoming an all too familiar occurrence. He groaned as he moved his neck side to side trying to stretch out the sore muscles. The door to his study was abruptly opened by an apologetic Heymond who handed him some post. On the top was an invitation to a ball being held that evening. Such a late invitation was surely the work of… and sure enough, the next missive was from Eliza, a letter stating that she had procured an invitation to the highly anticipated Lady Gilmer’s ball and stated how lucky they were to be attending when they both were supposed to not be in town.   
She went on further and stated that everyone is eager to hear more of their whirlwind romance. He couldn’t stomach the rest of the contents. He threw both on the desk and rubbed his eyes. He could not see a way out of this gathering as he had spent much of his time recently in Sanditon and Eliza was becoming more and more malcontent and her complaints were becoming more prevalent. Therefore, he decided to acquiesce and attend tonight in the hopes it would appease her so that he may return to Sanditon as soon as possible and it would save at least some hostile letters while he was away.

He found himself some hours later escorting Eliza into the ball rather late, much to Mrs. Campion’s dismay. She was currently admonishing him on his tardiness and complete lack of attention to the time and continuing to ramble about how now she had missed some of the latest news and most, if not all, of the arrivals. He began to tune her out, looking for a drink. He found instead Mr. Peters, a business associate that was rather dull, but at this moment served as a perfect excuse to relieve him of Eliza’s company. 

He turned to her and said, “There is Mr. Peters, I have some business to discuss with him, would you mind…” She interrupted him with a somewhat disgusted look on her face, “Oh Sidney, I’d rather not. I can not take business talk tonight and I see some friends awaiting my arrival, and they have been waiting so long.” Here she gave him a sideways glance full of blame as she extracted herself from him walking away and heading to a throng of ladies who were most likely currently whispering about Eliza as she approached them. 

He turned and walked towards Mr. Peters, never being so happy to see such a dull person before. Mr. Peters and Sidney fell into an easy rapport dealing with business and were walking from one of the side rooms towards the main ballroom. They settled on the side of the room, Sidney mercifully found a drink and they were talking of the current season of exports, when Lord Babington approached with his new wife, Esther, freshly arrived from their honeymoon. Lord Babington began greeting Sidney from a distance, causing Mr. Peters to excuse himself and head back in the direction he had come.

“I’m sorry if I made Peters leave, I hope you two weren’t discussing anything too important,” Babbers said as he was now in front of Sidney, beaming.

“I’m not sorry, he was merely an opportunity to escape someone else, but please, tell me how you both are. Lady Babington I hope you are doing well.”

“Mr. Parker, please call me Esther, and I am doing well, though being driven crazy by your friend here,” her smirk relaying the opposite of her words and conveying that she was truly happy.

Smiling, Sidney responded, “Esther, I am happy to hear that someone else is now being driven crazy by this man and please, call me Sidney.”

“Please, being driven crazy, by me? I am merely happy. Now, how are you Sidney?”

It was evident by Babington’s tone that he felt Sidney may be doing less than well and Babington certainly knew the reason, he was not entirely sure of what had transpired but he knew that events had not turned out how Sidney had wished with Miss Heywood. He was also a bit surprised by his quick engagement to Mrs. Campion. He was sure that Sidney would not go into details presently. He knew he would have to ask him in a more private setting.

“I am well enough,” Sidney said dryly, taking a sip from his drink.

Esther and Babington exchanged glances and Esther decided to inquire about his fiance, not out of politeness but rather to discern the reaction from Sidney.

“And what of your fiance, Sidney? How is Mrs. Campion? I am assuming she is here this evening,” Esther asked as she looked about the room, presumably trying to locate Mrs. Campion.

“She is in attendance, Esther, surely reveling in the company of a group of people at the moment sharing a tale of long awaited love, enjoying the attention.”

Sidney himself was surprised by his bitter tone, but found keeping up the pretense was tiring and that he simply could not do it at the moment. 

Esther was pleased with his response as it confirmed what she had suspected, that Sidney’s engagement was not one of happiness, but it filled her with more questions. She was hopeful that her husband would be able to procure the details later. She was sure that this engagement also caused heartbreak for Charlotte Heywood, someone with whom Esther had surprisingly become attached. 

Sidney continued, “Please don’t let me bring down your evening, you should enjoy yourselves and dance.”

Esther wanted to ensure that Babington knew he had to find out more, so she grabbed his hand to lead him to the dance floor so that she could discuss just what he had to do. 

Sidney watched them go with a mix of happiness and regret. He was truly happy for his friend and only wished he could be so lucky. He imagined himself leading Charlotte to the dance floor at this very moment. Instead, he found another drink and downed it quickly, moving further from the dance floor into a darkened corner.

Esther leaned into her husband on the dance floor and said, “Babington, you must find out the details that transpired that caused Sidney’s engagement to Eliza, I know there is a story there and I fear that Sidney may not be the only one who may be hurting.” She was poised to continue when her husband cut her off.

“Yes, I know he had planned to ask for Miss Heywood’s hand on the night of the Midsummer ball. Then everything happened so quickly, for us as well, and before I knew it, he was engaged to Mrs. Campion.” He paused at this moment and gave his wife an appraising look and asked, “Are you planning something? You seem to be deep in thought and very eager to know more information.”

Esther looked at her husband and replied, “Your best friend and a dear friend of mine are left heartbroken and a woman that I would daresay neither of us enjoy interacting with seems to be enjoying herself too much.” At this, Esther glanced to her right, with Babington following the direction of her eyes, and found Mrs. Campion currently surrounded by women, a smile plastered on her face that did not seem genuine and from where they danced, they could hear Mrs. Campion regaling her friends with a tale of long-awaited love.

Esther, looking back at her husband intently, continued, “I want to know the details that forced this situation to see what can be done to rectify this, because, my dear husband, I do not believe many people are happy and I simply can not see myself putting up with the insufferable company of Mrs. Campion for years to come.” 

As Esther finished speaking, her husband spun her around and as the dance was ending, Esther caught sight of someone on the dance floor, towards the middle, dancing with a handsome, tall gentleman. She was surprised to see this certain person and she decided to keep this information to herself at the moment. 

Smiling over her husband's shoulder at the sight in front of her, before she brought her attention back to him, Esther felt this evening was truly just beginning and she was eager to see how it may unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the kind comments!
> 
> It may feel like a slow burn right now, but I promise it will be worth it!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Charlotte did not see where Sidney had ended up, but every few seconds she would glance around, making sure to be aware of her surroundings. She did not catch sight of Sidney, but she soon noticed Lord Sutterfield approaching and she found herself nervously fidgeting with her hands.

“Miss Heywood, I did tell you I would be collecting you for a dance. Shall we?” Lord Sutterfield reached his hand out to Charlotte and at the same moment Lady Susan appeared next to Charlotte and said, “Go on you two, have fun.” Charlotte took Lord Sutterfield’s hand as she looked back to Lady Susan. Susan winked and smiled brightly at Charlotte.

Upon reaching the dancefloor, the music for a waltz began and Charlotte was reminded of the last waltz she danced and instantly felt flushed and sad. This was not lost on Lord Sutterfield.

“Miss Heywood, are you not a fan of a waltz?”

“Lord Sutterfield, I am rather quite fond of a waltz, do not mind me. My mind is sometimes somewhere else.”

As the dance got underway, Lord Sutterfield pulled her rather close. “I hope I can bring your mind back to this present moment, Miss Heywood.”

He certainly had not failed at doing so for Charlotte was currently quite aware of how close they were and she found herself attempting to distance herself a bit more from Lord Sutterfield. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought back to her waltz with Sidney and how the close proximity to him that evening was surprising at first and then did not seem close enough. She remembered how Sidney had pulled her closer than was acceptable and the way he gazed intently at her during their dance, as if he never wanted to take his eyes off of her. She could not even recall him blinking for she had been staring back at him in the same manner. Rather than allowing her usual feeling of despondency to wash over her, she opened her eyes, resolute on being in the present moment and allowing herself to feel joy in this dance. She looked down for a moment, regaining her breath and decided to focus on her current partner. She smiled up at Lord Sutterfield and he smiled in return. He spun her around and she found herself laughing as he spun her a bit faster than the dance called for. When she was once again facing him, he was laughing also.

“Now that is something I like to see, Miss Heywood. Your smile is quite infectious. I am sure I am the subject of envy from every man in this room currently.”

“There you go again, Lord Sutterfield, flattering me. You certainly exaggerate, though.” 

“Miss Heywood, you don’t know me well enough yet to know that I rarely exaggerate and I normally always say exactly what I mean. If I pay you a compliment, rest assured that I am most adamant when bestowing it upon you.”

At this, Charlotte blushed. She felt Lord Sutterfield was being more of a charmer than sincere, but she could not ignore the fact that it felt nice to be paid special attention by a handsome man.

“Yet again something else that becomes you, Miss Heywood, a blush.”

Charlotte did not reply with words, she merely squinted her eyes and gave a tight smirk, looking up at him, still trying to make out the mysterious Lord Sutterfield. The dance soon came to an end and while Lord Sutterfield wished for another dance, Charlotte wanted a drink for she was feeling quite parched. Lord Sutterfield frowned, but obliged and accompanied Charlotte to the refreshments.

As she walked, Charlotte had nearly forgotten to keep an eye out for Sidney, but she soon hastily scanned the area and the room and did not see him. However, there were a number of people blocking sight to the edges of the room and near the refreshments was quite crowded also. Charlotte could have used a reprieve from Lord Sutterfield’s company also, but he did not leave her side, trying to engage her in conversation, but her short replies and wandering eyes soon ceased his efforts. They fell into a quiet companionship as they finished their drinks.

Soon after, Lord Sutterfield was asking her for another dance which she felt obliged to accept. She did not dislike his company and enjoyed talking with him, though she did not wish to dance with him again for she did not wish to draw any more attention. She had been very aware of the way people were staring during their first dance.  
Perhaps on another night, when she knew Sidney was not present, she would be open to dancing with Lord Sutterfield, for she kept imagining a dark pair of eyes staring at her. Thoughts about dancing with Sidney consumed her as the knowledge of his presence kept his memory constantly in her thoughts. No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept recalling their last dance together and though she had not seen him since her earlier brief glance, she felt his presence. That uneasy feeling in her stomach made her seek solace and she would much rather be alone. 

The music started and she forced a small smile at the dazzling Lord Sutterfield. She felt something was truly wrong with her at that moment. Here was a handsome man paying her such close attention and insisting on another dance smiling at her as if she were the only woman in the room. There were probably a number of ladies in that room who would gladly take her place.  
However, all she could think of was a man who had looked at her like that before. A man for whom she mirrored that look. A man who made all thoughts leave her mind and everything else seemed to fade away except for the feeling of his hand pulling her closer. And he was here tonight. Quite unfortunate for Lord Sutterfield, for Charlotte may have been more attentive and perhaps been more able to genuinely reciprocate his smiles and attention, otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it may not have been the chapter you wanted, but we're getting there. I want to build a scene and the evening and set up some other characters.  
> I might be able to post chapter 7 later today though and that will make you happy!  
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am gifting another chapter today! Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Sidney watched his best friend dance with his wife and noticed their closeness, their smiles, and the ease in which they conversed. Sidney recalled how he had that briefly. So briefly that it seemed it was just moments. He had procured another drink and raised his glass to his lips hoping to drown the onslaught of images and memories currently flooding his brain and as he brought the glass down, his eyes were drawn to the left of the Babingtons as the dance had ended. Something was reflecting the lights of the gathering, bringing his eyes to a dress responsible for the light show.

It was as if the wind had been knocked out of him, he stumbled, immediately finding it hard to remain upright, he scrambled to think of how many drinks he had had because what he saw was surely a figment of his imagination. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them quickly, thinking this would surely dissolve the image before him. Then he muttered a curse for having closed his eyes at all because he had lost a few seconds of the most glorious sight he had ever beheld.

There she was, the woman of his dreams and fantasies for weeks now, in a shimmering rose gold gown that caught the light and made it seem as if she was glowing, or perhaps that was just his imagination. What was she doing here? How was this possible? She turned towards the refreshments and Sidney noticed then as the crowd cleared a bit that she was not alone. He should have known she would not be, she was leaving the dance floor after a dance. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of her but curiosity had caught the better of him and he squinted and studied the man who had Charlotte’s hand securely on his arm. Sidney did not recognize him. He was tall, handsome, and was smiling adoringly while looking down at Charlotte. Charlotte’s focus was straight ahead of her and he could not read her face for it was half obscured from where he was standing. 

His feet moved of their own volition. He found himself walking towards her and then he suddenly stopped. He could not go to her at this moment. All he could think of was grabbing her hand, pulling her away and stealing her away to a private area. He could do none of this. He continued to stare and the man who accompanied her to the refreshments did not leave her side. Charlotte looked guarded and the smiles did not reach her eyes. He dared to hope that she did not quite enjoy the company of this man. He stood there staring at her for the entirety of a song and then watched as this same gentleman asked her for another dance and she accepted with a small smile and by placing her hand in his. Sidney longed to be the one who had the feeling of her gloved hand in his right now. He took some steps back so as to not be noticed by her. As Sidney moved to his original spot, more in the shadows, someone clumsily appeared beside him.

“Sidney, what is that look on your face, close your mouth before the drool spills out.” 

Sidney was shocked back to reality and peered to his side to see one of his best friends.

“Crowe, I am surprised you grace us with your presence tonight,” Sidney responded, as he did in fact close his mouth, not having realized that he had been staring, mouth agape. He smirked at his friend. 

“Parker, I do sometimes come out to the finery and not just the debauchery.” As he finished speaking he followed where Sidney’s gaze had been trained and noticed why Sidney had that look on his face. 

“I see now. Well, she looks lovely, doesn’t she?”

Sidney tried to come off as nonchalant saying, “Who looks lovely?”

“Sidney, you know I couldn’t quite possibly mean your fiance. I mean, granted, Mrs. Campion is beautiful, if you like the pretty, miserable -to- be around type. You know I speak of Miss Heywood, dancing with Lord Sutterfield it would appear,” Crowe stated, supplying Sidney with a name to the face he had been studying for the past ten minutes.

“You know him?,” Sidney asked. “What can you tell me about him?” All attempts of feigned interest thrown to the side in place of eager curiosity.

Crowe turned to his friend and asked, “Are you sure you want to know?”

Sidney merely scowled in return.

“Fine. Well, his name tells you he has a title, rather rich, his family is high up in some venture, don’t expect me to remember exactly what, but he is a decent man. Decent at the game table, decent at drinking, decent at garnering every young lady’s attention.” 

At this, Sidney turned fully to Crowe, wide-eyed, scowling, and appeared concerned and Crowe thought that maybe, Sidney might just storm the dance floor and tear Charlotte away from Lord Sutterfield. As entertaining as that may be, Crowe decided to ease Sidney’s mind with further details.

“I’m sorry, my friend, he seems to be a decent man, also. He is a gentleman, first. Granted, he does like to flirt but he normally does not lead women on, as far as I have noticed. He rarely seems interested enough to keep up a chase.”

“None of that puts me at ease, Crowe.” Sidney responded. He glanced back to the dance floor to see Charlotte laughing as was Lord Sutterfield. He seemed to let out an audible groan for it pained him to see her enjoy the company of someone else, even more so now that he knew a bit more about Lord Sutterfield.

Crowe, noticing his friend’s apparent displeasure at the current scene, decided to be blunt with his friend about his current situation. “So, Parker, why the hell are you engaged to Mrs. Campion? You clearly wish it would be another woman you accompanied this evening and have another woman tell tales of great love, not that Miss Heywood would ever find herself surrounded by the likes of Mrs. Campion’s gaggle of friends and going on and on with these stories.”

Sidney took a deep breath and looked down at his now empty glass, taking his eyes off of Charlotte. “Perhaps this isn’t quite the place, but…”

“Sidney, you must dance with me.” Eliza interrupted his sentence and appeared to the left of Sidney with a tight smile on her face and then seemed to take notice of Crowe.

“Oh, Mr. Crowe, I didn’t notice you there. You don’t mind if Sidney leaves you to dance with me, do you?”

“Well, actually,...” Sidney began before Crowe interrupted.

“Mrs. Campion, you don’t want to dance with this bore, dance with me instead.” As he finished, Crowe came around to face Mrs. Campion and had his hand out.

Sidney lifted his glass to his lips, despite it being empty, to hide the smile on his face. Eliza looked to Sidney with a pleading look, clearly looking to him to offer instead and deny Crowe the opportunity of a dance. She remained looking at Sidney.

“Go and enjoy yourself, I do believe Crowe would make a better dance partner than I would presently,” Sidney said.

Crowe wasted no more time and grabbed Mrs. Campion’s hand and started to pull her towards the dance floor, for a new dance was just beginning. She looked back at Sidney with a look that told Sidney that he would be hearing about this later. As Eliza turned her head towards the dance floor, Crowe turned and looked over his shoulder and mouthed, “You’re welcome.”

Sidney smirked and went to deposit his empty glass at a nearby table and as he did so he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a quick shuffle of skirts, rose colored, leaving through a doorway at the end of the ballroom, leading to the gardens outside. He glanced back at the dance floor. The crowd was still obscuring most of the view but he saw Mrs. Campion with Crowe and in his quick glance he did not see Charlotte. He made quick strides to the door and peered out and he saw Charlotte further out, in the gardens, turning left and then she was out of sight. With one last glance at the dance floor ensuring no one would notice, he left the ballroom to follow Charlotte.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know, I know. But now you know it's coming up next and you won't be disappointed! And this was a fun chapter, right? I hope! Ha!  
> Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought of splitting this chapter up because it's longer than the others, but I couldn't do that to you!   
> Enjoy!

Chapter 8

After her second dance with Lord Sutterfield, Charlotte began to turn away, making it quite clear that she did not wish to dance another dance. Lord Sutterfield walked beside her to escort her and had to keep up with Charlotte’s quick steps. Charlotte noticed Lady Susan and made her way towards her. When the pair reached Lady Susan, Susan could tell that Charlotte was prepared to be rid of Lord Sutterfield’s company.

“Lord Sutterfield, thank you for escorting Charlotte to me but I do believe that Lord Glover was looking for you earlier and I happen to notice that he is available now.”

Lord Sutterfield bowed to Lady Susan “Thank you Lady Susan, I will go and speak to him now.”  
He then turned to Charlotte, taking a step closer to her and said, in a low, more intimate tone, “Thank you Miss Heywood for the pleasurable dances, you have made this evening a fine one indeed.” He bowed once more and took his leave. Charlotte could not help but blush.

Charlotte turned to Susan and asked, “Was that true about Lord Glover?” 

Susan had a glint in her eye as she smiled and responded, “Not quite, but what harm could it do? They are acquainted with one another and have business dealings with one another, I am sure they do have matters to discuss, whether they realize it or not.”

Charlotte laughed, “Well thank you, nonetheless. Lord Sutterfield is a wonderful dancer and enjoyable company but I did not wish for another dance. In fact, I am beginning to believe I had a smaller waist this morning when I was being fitted as this dress is beginning to feel rather restrictive. I could use some air.”

Lady Susan put her hand on Charlotte’s upper arm and began to guide her to the side of the ballroom and an open doorway. “Let us get some air in the gardens.”

As they walked, Lady Susan and Charlotte were halted when they heard someone calling for Lady Susan, who was approaching them from the side. Lady Susan placed Charlotte’s hand on her arm and gave a reassuring squeeze to her hand as she did so.

“Ah, Lady Gilmer, we meet again. May I introduce my guest for the season, Miss Charlotte Heywood.”

Lady Gilmer was the woman Lady Susan had intercepted and led away earlier in the evening. Charlotte had no idea that she was the hostess of the evening. Charlotte felt once again as if she was being scrutinized.

Lady Gilmer looked Charlotte up and down and said, “Miss Heywood, I have heard a good bit about you this evening. I am pleased I am finally able to meet you.” She finished with a squint, a further assessment of Charlotte it would appear.

“Lady Gilmer, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, what a beautiful event this is.”

Lady Gilmer scoffed and said, “It is beautiful, I saw to that, but it will last much too long, as I already find myself wanting to push people out the door.”

Lady Susan laughed and Charlotte was shocked to hear the hostess of such a grand event speak so candidly and Charlotte stood there, mouth slightly open.

Lady Gilmer continued, “If you knew me Miss Heywood, you wouldn’t be all that surprised by my sentiments. Lady Susan understands. These events are tedious, but they are required, as a member of society. That does not mean, however, that I enjoy them. You, yourself, seem a bit flushed, are you truly enjoying the evening, Miss Heywood?”

Charlotte, still a bit taken aback, answered, “Oh yes, I am, truly. I just find myself in want of some air.”

Lady Susan added, “We were on our way to the gardens.”

Lady Gilmer responded, “By all means, Miss Heywood, do not let me stop you, but I must keep Lady Susan because I am in need of some entertainment. I know propriety would frown on an unaccompanied woman in the gardens, but you’ll find that I also feel propriety is a bit stuffy also. I trust that you are a smart and capable young woman who shouldn’t find herself in too much trouble. I shall keep it a secret, go on.”

Charlotte looked to Lady Susan, who nodded and smiled and Charlotte thanked Lady Gilmer. Lady Gilmer waved her hand, apparently conveying there was no need for that. Lady Gilmer then turned and gave her full attention to Lady Susan, her back now to the gardens. Lady Susan watched Charlotte make her way out the door. It was a moment later that Lady Susan noticed a gentleman making his way out the very same door and making the same turn as Charlotte. Susan smiled and returned her full attention to Lady Gilmer.

\-------------

Charlotte turned left soon after finding her way outside, towards some hedges. As it was fall, there were not many fresh blooms in the garden. In fact, the evening air had a biting chill to it, a little early for the air to be quite so cold. However, Charlotte noticed a bloom of a rose towards the bottom of a hedge, almost completely hidden from view. She bent over to examine it more closely and quietly murmured, “‘Nature is wont to hide herself.’”

“I wish she wouldn’t.”

Charlotte jumped upright, completely startled, and found herself facing Mr. Sidney Parker. Sidney continued, “More Heraclitus, I see. Were you speaking of the rose or yourself, Miss Heywood?”

Charlotte, having gotten over her initial shock of being found by anyone, let alone Sidney Parker, fixed him with a determined glare, her indignation winning out at the moment.  
“Mr. Parker, I am not hiding.”

“Oh, is there to be a party in the gardens as well, then?”

Charlotte could not believe that he was teasing her, acting as if all was normal and well between them. She had imagined a reunion with him so many times and always wondered with which emotion she would lead. Of all the scenarios she thought of, anger was the leading emotion in the fewest. Despite a flush on her skin, a response to hearing his voice again after some time, she felt anger at his nonchalance of the situation and of how he had bombarded her in private.

She responded, “I simply came out to get some air, Mr. Parker, but as it is cold, I believe I will head back in now, please excuse me.” She turned to leave and began moving at a quick pace and Sidney moved towards her.

“Wait, please, wait, wait, Charlotte. I didn’t mean to tease you.” He reached out to gently grab her arm, but she whirled around before he made any contact or could think better of it. 

He feared she would have tears in her eyes, an all too familiar sight to him now and one he never wished to see again, at least not as a result of his words, actions, or choices. What he saw, though, was a determined Charlotte, a face of which he was also familiar. He was so close to her, his mouth had gone dry and he had forgotten what he wanted to say.

Charlotte found her voice first. “Well? What is it that you must share, Mr. Parker?”

Sidney swallowed, trying to regain his composure, fighting the urge to pull her toward him and embrace her. “Charlotte there is so much I want to say, but I can not seem to find the words.”

“Mr. Parker, please, it is Miss Heywood to you.” Hearing him say her name was too much. She felt the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Of course, I apologize, Miss Heywood. Please forgive me.” He looked at her intently, thinking how trivial that sounded. His mind conjuring up all that he had done to her and how there was so much in which for him to be asking forgiveness. He took a step closer.

Charlotte knew she should say something, say that he was forgiven, and then leave. Instead, she found herself rooted to the spot, as if her feet were joined with the root system of the rose bushes that produced the lone surviving bloom. Though, as the rose bush had mustered up one last show of strength in that single bloom, all of Charlotte’s strength and resilience seemed to have left her as she stood there, staring into Sidney Parker’s eyes.

Sidney seemed to gain confidence in the fact that Charlotte had not tried to escape again. He took this as a sign of hope and stepped closer to Charlotte.

She knew she should have stepped back, but instead she found herself closing the space between them even more with a step closer to him. It was so cold on this evening, one could see their breath. She and Sidney were so close now that one could not tell which cloud of breath was hers and which was his. She found her eyes drawn to his lips and then back to his eyes, which had taken on a darker look. He brought his face closer to hers, brought his hands to grasp her waist and bring her a fraction closer and Charlotte, resisting the urge to close her eyes and give herself over to whatever was going to happen, spoke.

“Mr. Parker, you have a fiance.”

Sidney moved his head away just a fraction but did not step back nor did he remove his hands from her waist.

“Miss Heywood…” He seemed to be struggling with what to say for he had closed his eyes tightly and grimaced.

She spoke instead. “Mr. Parker, I understand why you did what you did. I truly did mean it when I said that I do not think badly of you. However, that does not change things. However we may feel, nothing has changed and there are many people who are still relying on you.”

Sidney had opened his eyes as she spoke, focusing intently on her and as she finished, he brought his forehead to touch hers. They had both closed their eyes now, simply enjoying one another’s company. Charlotte was well aware how wrong this was, but at the same time nothing had ever felt more right. She knew they were out of sight of the gathering, but that did not mean that someone could not come out into the gardens and find them. Yet, she still did not move away from him.

“‘There is no disguise which can long hide love where it exists, nor feign it where it does not.’ François de La Rochefoucauld said that in one of his memoirs. It has been much on my mind. This charade is impossible to keep up. Charlotte, I can not hide from the fact that I love you. You may not be the one hiding, but I have been. I don’t know that I can do it anymore.” 

As he finished, he moved his head back so that he could look into her eyes. Her eyes remained closed and he noticed a tear slide down her cheek. He removed one hand from her waist so that he could wipe the tear away with his thumb while his other fingers skimmed her cheek.

Charlotte kept her eyes closed, reveling in the fact that Sidney had just admitted he loved her. She suspected it at their farewell on the cliff tops when he claimed that he did not love Mrs. Campion. She had taken that as a secondhand way of saying that he loved her, at least that is where her mind wandered. However, now hearing him say that he loved her forthright, she could not stop the tears from overflowing. She finally opened her eyes to look at him. She saw such love and adoration in his eyes and decided something right then and there. 

She simply said, “Well then…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am swamped with work but I had to post this chapter for all of you who have waited patiently... and also because my mind needed a break from the real-life job!  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, things are starting to get interesting...


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little of Sidney's POV.

Chapter 9

Sidney was not sure what he was expecting, but he was truly shocked when Charlotte stepped even closer and stood on her tiptoes to meet his lips with her own. With his hands remaining placed on her waist, he pulled her closer and gently returned her shy kiss. He did not want to break this spell, he was still not entirely sure he was not dreaming. As he was about to deepen the kiss, Charlotte pulled away with an adorable shy look on her face as she bit her lower lip. Sidney let out a laugh, his first genuine laugh in some time. It took all his willpower not to pull her into another kiss.

She looked intently at him again and said, “I love you, too, Sidney.”

It was the first time he had heard her say his Christian name and he could not contain the immense amount of joy it brought him to hear it along with her declaration of love; he grabbed her waist more tightly, lifting her and embracing her, spinning her around in his arms. They both laughed and he placed her gently back on the ground and he simply could not resist, he moved his hands to cup her cheeks and he pulled her in for another kiss, albeit a quick one. They were smiling like fools and then looked around them, both suddenly remembering where they were.

Sidney focused on Charlotte’s face again and he noticed how her face changed, as if remembering where they were, checking their surroundings, brought her back to reality and the situation they were in. She took a step away from him and his face fell. She opened her mouth to speak and Sidney knew he would most likely not enjoy what Charlotte had to say. She closed her mouth again and her eyes. With her eyes closed, she found her words.

“Sidney, despite how we may feel, this is wrong. Am I correct in assuming your fiance is inside?”

“Yes, she is,” Sidney sighed, defeated.

Charlotte turned around, her back now to him. She turned back around, her hand on her chin, her brow furrowed, deep in thought. She repeated this a few times. Sidney found it adorable and would have embraced her if the subject of her mind’s turmoil wasn’t the fact that he was engaged to another woman and the fate of Sanditon and his brother, Tom, Mary and his nieces and nephews relied on the money Mrs. Campion was to provide. She faced him now, a fierce look of determination gracing her features.

“First, I can not believe you put yourself, and me for that matter, in this position. You could have consulted me. I should have taken leave on the London coach for the second time that summer. Now, we have to find an alternate solution to the financing and you have to get out of an engagement. That is, if you wish.” 

Charlotte looked down quickly, then back to Sidney’s face. He smiled and he thought again how incredible of a woman she was.

“If I wish? I have just told you that I love you. I do not, nor could I ever, love Mrs. Campion. I don’t think I ever truly did. I did not propose to her. This was all her idea, her arrangement. She simply would not invest without claiming me as her husband.” Here Sidney looked down before continuing, “All other options were lost, doors closed in my face, I’m sure some laughed for quite a while after I left, having asked for what I needed . I could not think of anything else. Somehow, she knew that. She took advantage of that.”

Sidney kept his eyes closed for it was hard to look at her when he was recalling the details of Eliza’s words and demands. His mind took him back to that awful afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sidney, I will invest, I will provide money, for I am well aware of how your inquiries have gone this week, but I ask a favor in return. We must marry.” 

She had smiled so sweetly at this moment at him. He recalled thinking how insincere the smile was, how even she may have known deep down that it wasn’t truly what she desired either.

He had scoffed and turned around, putting distance between them. “Mrs. Campion, I can not marry you.”

“Because of that girl? I don’t even remember her name. The one you danced with while in London, the one from the boat? Sidney, please, she is but a country girl. You have loved me and longed for me for over a decade. You can now have me, we can be together, finally.” She had moved closer to him and reached for his hand. He quickly snatched it away.

“Mrs. Campion, I do not love you…”

Eliza cut him off, “Sidney, perhaps you have forgotten and just need to be reminded of the love you have for me. Besides, your brother, Mary, and those children need this investment, do they not?”

“And you would not simply invest without our engagement?”

She laughed at this moment and it sounded so cold, Sidney could have sworn a chill ran over his body as if she had emitted an icy chill in the room with her merciless laugh.

“Sidney, no I would not. I do not care for Sanditon and I think Tom a fool for the situation he has found himself in. Though, I am quite glad it is you who has to pick up the pieces. Now we shall both receive what we wish for. I believe you will discover you love me still. Think it over, but I do not need to remind you that you do not have much time. You return tomorrow to Sanditon, am I right?”

He simply nodded. “Then, Sidney, I expect your answer later this evening.”

Sidney had thought of nothing but Mary and the children as he walked around London aimlessly after that conversation. He was placed in a horrible predicament, but he kept recalling how Charlotte had called him an approved man, how she had faith in him. He knew what he had to do and when that realization struck him, he had stopped walking, all breath leaving his body and a strangled cry escaped him. He hunched over and believed he felt his heart truly breaking, for the first time in his life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sidney shook his head, opening his eyes, bringing himself back to the present. He looked at Charlotte, taking a deep breath, finding relief just being in her presence. 

“I would never wish to be with anyone but you, Charlotte.” He stepped forward and grasped her hands, bringing them up to his chest.

At that exact moment, they heard someone clear their throat and both jumped away from one another. Turning his head, Sidney saw Lady Susan standing there.

“Mr. Parker, how lovely to see you again. I wish I did not have to interrupt but I do believe that such a long absence has been noticed by a few guests and I think it best that we make our way inside. Mr. Parker, I will escort Charlotte inside first and that should hopefully squander some suspicion for I believe Lady Gilmer was the only one to see me exit.   
Good evening, Mr. Parker, it truly is good to see you again, I hope. Charlotte, shall we?”

Charlotte looked to Sidney and he nodded, never taking his eyes off of her and then he winked. She smiled in return as she joined Lady Susan and they walked back to the ballroom. 

Sidney smiled, watching them go, happy just to have some time with Charlotte, to hear that she loved him and though they were cut short, he had a feeling Charlotte was determined to find a resolution to their problem. For that’s what it was… their problem, not just his. He should have realized that from the start. 

He decided to walk around to the front of the estate and make his way back to the gardens on the opposite side so that if anyone had watched Lady Susan and Charlotte enter, and remained watching, they would notice him coming from the opposite direction of the ladies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good moments can't last forever, but there will be more to come...


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not posting in a couple of days, the end of the week kicked my butt and I've had very little time to write.
> 
> The ball continues...

Chapter 10

Lady Susan had listened to Lady Gilmer complain about several guests but her mind kept wandering to the couple outside in the gardens and the amount of time they had been gone. She snuck a glance to the dancefloor and noticed Mrs. Campion dancing with Mr. Crowe and she was relieved Mrs. Campion was currently occupied, at least for the time being. However, Susan knew as soon as the dance ended, she would surely be looking for her fiance.

Lady Gilmer had noticed Susan was distracted, she ceased talking and gave Susan a questioning look.

“Your mind is surely elsewhere, Susan. Now, before you tell me what is occupying your thoughts now, I must ask, what is your attachment to this Miss Heywood? She has garnered a good bit of curiosity this evening.”

“I met her when she was last in London during the summer and she is not like most young ladies.”

“I’ll say. She has inspired you to sponsor her and I do believe I recognize a fire in her eyes. I find myself wishing to get to know her better and you know I rarely wish to know anyone. Now, what has your eyes and mind wandering?”

Lady Susan focused on Lady Gilmer more closely and decided that she was a kindred spirit and may even be able to lend a helping hand. Susan decided at that moment to be honest with Lady Gilmer.

“Well, Lady Gilmer, because I trust you and your discretion, I must inform you that Miss Heywood found herself in love with a Mr. Parker this summer while she was staying with his brother, Tom Parker in Sanditon. You have heard of the fire that happened there?”

Here Lady Gilmer nodded and waved her hand for Susan to continue.

“Well, Tom Parker apparently had no insurance and Mr. Sidney Parker took it upon himself to raise the funds. He found them in Mrs. Campion. I do believe she required a marriage as a condition of providing the funds. Leaving two people very much heartbroken. Now, as Charlotte made her way out to the gardens, Mr. Sidney Parker followed soon after and I do believe that I may need to intercede to save her reputation and Mr. Parker from a very unfortunate conversation with his betrothed.”

“Susan, you have made this night worthwhile. Yes, by all means, go and save Miss Heywood. I knew I would like this girl. Now, I will see what I can do to halt Mrs. Campion’s pursuit of her fiance. It will be torturous, I am sure, but as it is part of a bit of a game, I shall bear it just fine, I think.” She winked at Susan and turned her attention to the dance floor as Susan began to make her way outside.

Susan turned in the direction she noticed both Charlotte and Sidney had gone and saw them a distance away. They were standing close to one another and appeared to be deep in conversation. She slowed her steps, knowing that Lady Gilmer was taking care of a major part of her concern with Mrs. Campion, and Susan wished to give them some time. She hastened her steps when Sidney grasped Charlotte’s hands and she cleared her throat, announcing her presence.

After a short discussion, Susan escorted Charlotte inside and upon entering, she noticed Lady Gilmer in conversation with Mrs. Campion and as soon as Lady Gilmer saw the ladies enter, it would appear she abruptly ended the conversation and walked away, leaving Mrs. Campion dismayed as it seems that Mrs. Campion was in the middle of discussing a matter. Lady Gilmer, as she walked away from Mrs. Campion, turned her head towards Lady Susan and winked. Susan smiled and directed Charlotte to the refreshments.

While on the side of the ballroom, Mr. Crowe approached Susan and Charlotte.

“Miss Heywood, I must tell you what a pleasure it is to see you, you have made this evening quite enjoyable already. Actually, come to think of it, your presence has had one downside, I had to dance with Mrs. Campion.” 

Susan laughed and Charlotte tried her best to stifle a laugh. Charlotte greeted him, "It is a pleasure to see you once again also, Mr. Crowe."

Susan added, "Mr. Crowe, it is a pleasure, I am sure you'll make this evening more lively."

“Lady Susan, a pleasure to see you, also.”

“Mr. Crowe, you are also truly a good friend.”

“Parker owes me one, that’s for sure. She told me not to show up drunk to her wedding. As if I could make it through that wedding without being drunk.”

Charlotte’s face fell and Susan looked to her and smiled to comfort her. Just then, they were joined by Lord and Lady Babington, Esther immediately embracing Charlotte in a hug.

“Miss Heywood, what a lovely surprise! How wonderful it is to see you again.”

“Lady Babington, please call me Charlotte, and it is wonderful to see you also. I can tell that married life agrees with you, you look positively radiant.”

“Then I am to be called Esther also, and thank you,” she lowered her voice to continue. “Married life has suited me very well so far, I am truly happy.”

Charlotte was thrilled for her new friend. Lord Babington stepped closer to his wife putting an arm around her waist as he greeted Charlotte.

“Miss Heywood, how spectacular it is to find you here this evening.”

Crowe chimed in, “Isn’t it though, Babbers? I can’t wait to see what the evening holds. Actually, I think part two is getting underway as we speak. Will you be stepping in this time Babbers, or am I going to have to be the one to take the bullet yet again?”

The group looked in the direction Crowe had turned and saw Mrs. Campion with Sidney by the doors that led to the garden in what appeared to be a heated discussion.  
Charlotte and Susan exchanged worried looks, Esther tried and failed to hide a smile and Babington clapped Crowe on the back and responded, “I’ve got this one, my friend,” as he strolled to come to his friend’s aid. Esther excused herself and said, “I can’t let my husband have all the fun…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for continuing to read.  
> The daily posting may not be possible for this upcoming week. I usually write chapters in advance and then read, revise, and edit before posting, but I haven't had much time to write so I don't have much written beyond this chapter yet, but I do not like to disappoint people, so fear not, I will keep it up as steadily as I can.  
> Thank you so much for the lovely comments- you make me want to reveal myself on Twitter! Ha


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball continues...

Chapter 11

Sidney took his time entering from the gardens and before he made it two steps into the doorway, Eliza had pounced on him like a lion who had stalked its prey.

“Sidney, I can not believe you did not dance with me and left me with Crowe. Where did you go, why were you outside? I swear…” She closed her eyes for a moment and appeared to be thinking better of what she wanted to say. “Sidney, you must try harder. You are making this impossible and I will not be made to look like a fool. Do you understand me? I am your fiance and only I have what is needed to save your family. The sooner you remember that and begin acting like my fiance, the better.”

Sidney took a deep breath, “Mrs. Campion,...”

Lord Babington, approaching from behind, patted Sidney on the shoulder, thankfully interrupting what Sidney was about to say and then directed his attention to Mrs. Campion.  
“Mrs. Campion, how beautiful you look.”

Esther joined her husband at this precise moment and said, “Yes, hello Mrs. Campion, your dress is breathtaking. I find I have no words to describe it.” Her words dripped with satire.

Sidney was not sure if Eliza would pick up on the slight sarcasm Esther put into her praise, but it made Sidney smile nonetheless.

Mrs. Campion, either being ignorant of the tone in which Esther praised her dress or simply choosing to ignore it, put a smile on her face, thanked Esther for the compliment and then greeted the Babingtons, “Lord and Lady Babington, what a pleasure to see you again. I hope you had a pleasant honeymoon.”

“Very pleasant indeed, thank you Mrs. Campion,” replied Lord Babington. “How are you enjoying the evening, Mrs. Campion?”

“It would be better if my fiance would dance with me.” She looked pointedly at Sidney, who dutifully ignored her stare.

“My husband would love a dance partner for the next dance and I am too tired already, if you would be so kind as to oblige him in his request of a dance, Mrs. Campion,” Esther offered.

“One of my fiance’s friends has already come in the way of me dancing with Sidney this evening.” She stepped in front of Sidney and looked up at him. “Sidney?”

Sidney gave a grateful look to Esther and Babington but knew he must appease Mrs. Campion with at least one dance. He offered her his arm but did not say anything as he escorted his fiance to the dancefloor, trying his best not to look around on the chance that he may meet the eyes of Charlotte. He did not want for her to see him dancing with Eliza, nor did he want to acknowledge her presence while in the company of Eliza, hoping to keep her oblivious of Charlotte’s presence this evening.

As the dance began, Eliza began more criticism. “Sidney, pull me closer and smile, please. Everyone is looking at us.” She put on a dazzling smile and laughed, apparently trying to make it appear as if they were enjoying this dance, but Sidney continued to hold her stiffly and at a distance. He hated the thought of losing the essence of Charlotte as just a short time ago, he had held her. He peered at the nearest gathered guests and very few were looking at them, but Eliza tended to believe what she wanted more than what was reality. 

“Sidney, truly, could you please smile? So many this evening have shared with me how they wish they had someone who had waited so long for them and how lucky we are to be together once again. I would like it if you looked the part.”

“Mrs. Campion, I did not wait for you. You made a decision that we both lived with and I lived my life, keeping many people at a distance thinking I may not be worthy to share a life with someone but I never waited for you. Then I found someone with whom I wish to share a life and I believe that person is the one for whom I have waited.” Sidney normally did not share his feelings with Eliza, thinking the less he shared the better. However, he was now more determined to free himself from Eliza’s entanglement, after seeing and speaking with Charlotte again.

Eliza pulled herself closer to Sidney and glared up at him, attempting to hide her momentary shock at his honesty. “Sidney, you can not be serious. That girl doesn’t know you like I do and she is simply a country girl, a farmer’s daughter, and you must forget her, you will probably never see her again as she is not fit for high society as we are. You are engaged to…”

She trailed off, her eyes focusing on something behind Sidney. He tried to turn his head to see what had captured her attention, for her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open, but she soon snapped it shut, smiled a little menacingly and then smiled up at him sweetly. 

“Sidney, let’s forget about that tonight, I know in time you will be happy with me.” She brought her body flush against his, nearly making him recoil away from her, but she tightened her grasp. When the dance allowed for him to turn, he looked in the direction she had been looking but he saw only Crowe, Esther, and Babington. With crestfallen looks on their faces, he knew instantly who had been with them when Eliza had peered in their direction. He was not sure what Eliza was thinking, for when he looked at her, she seemed to be devising a plan as she had a scowl on her face and did not meet his eyes. Sidney knew that he must keep an eye on her so she could not track down Charlotte.

Thankfully the dance ended and she excused herself to talk with some friends that she claimed had been clamoring for her attention all evening. Sidney was relieved but also worried what she would do now that he was sure she saw Charlotte amongst the group. Sidney made his way over to his friends slowly, trying to also keep an eye on where Eliza ended up. He noticed the absence of Lady Susan and Charlotte. Crowe was the first to speak upon Sidney’s arrival, “Need a drink, Parker? I know I did after dancing with that woman.” He extended a drink towards Sidney, but Sidney shook his head. He wanted to be of sound mind as he felt things could easily go awry. He turned to Esther and asked, “Where did Charlotte go?”

“She excused herself soon after she met the evil eyes of Mrs. Campion. I went to follow, but Lady Susan offered instead. I am not sure where they ended up.”  
Sidney simply nodded. Esther, seeing Sidney’s forlorn face, wanted desperately to ask about the details and motives behind his predicament, but bit her tongue. Thankfully, Crowe broke the silence.

“Parker, I don’t know all the details, but you can not marry that heinous woman. I know it’s not the place, we’ll get to it later, but I just thought I’d speak the words that no one here is saying but that we are all thinking.”

Esther smiled and Babington simply nodded. Sidney smiled tightly and responded, “You’re right, it’s not the place for this conversation. Also, you’re right about the fact that I can not marry her.” He uttered this last sentence as a whisper but they all heard him nonetheless.

Sidney suddenly remembered his need to keep an eye out for Eliza. When he looked to where she had been and saw her group of friends but did not see her, Sidney began to panic. His eyes were darting all over the room. He could not see Eliza, nor Charlotte or Lady Susan. Sidney immediately knew where he would find one, he would find them all, for he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He didn’t even excuse himself from the company of his friends, he simply turned and left, looking for a place where one would go for seclusion, hoping that he would find Eliza along the way and be able to prevent what he was fearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Indoor recess posting as a mid-week treat.  
> Oops, I guess that's a hint as to who I am, but I already outed myself during a Zoom meeting and to a fellow fanfic writer on Twitter. So... 
> 
> But, alas, Eliza continues to be Eliza in this chapter and yet to come...


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza... Ugh, am I right?

Chapter 12

When Charlotte looked over to see Mrs. Campion talking to Sidney, it was difficult for her to separate the man to whom she had just spoken and the man she looked at now. Sure, his facial expressions were different. For now as she stared at him, she noticed his clenched jaw, the angry squint of his eyes. It was a look that he had directed at Charlotte before, but this time, there seemed to be an emptiness to his eyes that she had never experienced before. She then remembered the way he gazed at her in the garden a short time ago. There was so much hope in his eyes and his smile, she smiled just thinking about,… the one that lit up his whole face and made his eyes crinkle. She loved that smile. They were the same man; the man with the stern look now and the loving look she had witnessed in the garden, but the fact remained. Sidney was engaged to the woman he spoke to currently. She may not be the woman he loved, she may be the woman responsible for the face Sidney currently wore, devoid of happiness, but she was his fiance. She did not need stolen moments in a garden, she could openly speak to him, dance with him, and place her hand on his arm. At this moment, she has a lifetime of these moments ahead of her whereas Charlotte had a declaration of his love and hope for a resolution and a broken engagement. Suddenly, the endeavor seemed daunting and Charlotte was feeling short of breath again. 

Lady Susan turned to her with a concerned look on her face and Charlotte did her best to smile in return to put Susan’s mind at ease, to no avail. Susan tucked Charlotte’s arm in her own just as Esther and Babington returned to the group. Charlotte’s gaze returned to the doors to the garden to notice the absence of Mrs. Campion and Sidney and as her gaze scanned the room, she spotted them on the dance floor. Mrs. Campion laughed and Sidney looked pained. Charlotte averted her gaze and noticed Crowe in conversation with a young lady, Esther and Babington were having an intimate, whispered conversation and Charlotte turned to find Susan looking at her with a sad expression on her face.

“I know it isn’t easy dear, but take heart, and remember, the race is not yet run.”

Charlotte suddenly felt overcome with emotion and wanted to step back, to become invisible, in fact. As she made a step backward, she glanced up and saw Mrs. Campion’s gaze meet her own and she noticed how Mrs. Campion froze, clearly not being aware of Charlotte’s presence. Soon, Mrs. Campion had directed her attention back to Sidney, but before she had, Charlotte did not miss the cold stare and menacing smile she had directed at her. The group looked over to Charlotte with looks that clearly told her they had noticed the exchange and she quickly excused herself, not even bothering to come up with an excuse. 

Esther went to follow, but Lady Susan grabbed Esther’s hand and said, “I’ll go. Keep an eye on her for me though, would you please?”

Esther, looking back to the dance floor, scowled and then turned again to Susan and responded, “Yes, of course.”

Susan was soon on the trail of Charlotte and she had a good idea where she may end up and sure enough, she noticed Charlotte at the end of a hall, open a door, pause, and slip inside a room. Susan followed her inside and stopped in the doorway to watch as Charlotte stood in the middle of the grand library, her face looking up at the high bookshelves filled with books as she spun around, eventually meeting Susan’s gaze and startling a little at the surprise of her presence.

“I needed to get away and when I opened this door, well…” Charlotte trailed off, waving her hands in a sweeping gesture, regarding the grand library.

“Yes, I understand perfectly why you would be drawn to this room.” Susan looked around the room herself, taking it all in. “Lady Gilmer has quite the collection, she is an avid reader as well. Imagine all the characters in this room, how many adventures lay on these shelves, and apparently all the boating manuals one could possibly ever wish for,” she said as she paused at a particular row of shelves. “Also, my dear, imagine all the love stories that surround us that began in a bleak manner and endured many trials and dealt with tribulations and obstacles, but then, ultimately, ended happily. Your story, I believe, is still in the early chapters, we haven’t even made it to the middle yet.” Susan looked at Charlotte now and smiled her easy smile. Charlotte couldn’t help but return a smile.

“That may be so, Susan, but when reading those early chapters of a book, I tend to be anxious and I confess, I often skip to the end of these stories to see if they end happily. There is no skipping to the end in real life. At the moment, all I see are difficulties and the sheer impossibility of it all.”

“Charlotte, you have many people on your side and the love of a man who seems to be determined himself. It may be difficult to see a happy ending at the moment, but I believe it is on the horizon.”

“Thank you, Susan. I will try my best to look to the horizon, hoping to see that unexpected light after a long, dark night.” She smiled and added, “If you don’t mind, I may just stay here a little while longer.”

Susan concluded that Charlotte may be coyly asking for some time alone and Susan decided to permit this small wish. “Of course, I will leave you alone for a bit, but do not stay too long, you will surely be missed.” 

She reached for Charlotte’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and with a kind smile and one last squeeze of the hand, she turned and left Charlotte alone in the library, leaving her to browse the shelves. Charlotte reached out to skim the spines of many beautiful books, instantly feeling the calm a book could give her as she continued to read through the myriad of titles.

“I believe the sun has set on that love story of yours.”

Charlotte turned to the doorway to see Mrs. Campion standing there, hand on the doorknob, with a knowing smirk on her face. Charlotte had not heard her enter. Mrs. Campion closed the door now and continued, “What a lovely sentiment Lady Susan shared, but the fact remains that Sidney needs my money to save Sanditon and his precious family. He does love me still. He might be a little angry about my choice years ago, but the truth is that he waited for me. Sometimes a little anger is good in a relationship anyways if you understand what I mean.” Here, she smirked at Charlotte and continued moving closer, confidently walking around the room, beginning to circle Charlotte. She continued, “You may have been a little distraction, he’s had many over the years, I’m sure. Some to be paid for, but you were free, though, now easily forgotten as well.”

Charlotte took a deep breath, remembering the words Sidney had spoken in the garden and for a moment, felt sorry for Mrs. Campion. Charlotte surmised that Mrs. Campion tried so hard to weave a story of her own liking and perhaps she did believe it, or maybe she needed to speak aloud the thoughts she wanted to be true. Either way did not excuse her cruel words, but Charlotte found that she pitied Mrs. Campion. As a result, Mrs. Campion’s words would not find Charlotte reciprocating with cruelty.

“Mrs. Campion, of course. I saw how happy the two of you looked while dancing and as you are his fiance, I am sure you keep him busy with elaborate wedding planning for him to ever think of me. If you’ll excuse me, I promised a gentleman a dance.” She decided she would not be overly cruel, but she could surely throw little covert digs in her response; no one would begrudge her that, surely.

Charlotte began a determined walk, head held high, past Mrs. Campion and as she passed, Mrs. Campion grabbed hold of Charlotte’s upper arm in a vice-like grip and said through clenched teeth, “Miss… I can’t even remember your last name, trust my words that Sidney and I will marry and we will be happy.”

The door slamming brought both of their attention to the side of the room.  
“Unhand her, now.” Sidney said in a menacingly low voice. Anger radiating off of his body and quite noticeable in his clenched fists at his sides.

Eliza flinched slightly but soon put her sickly sweet smile on her face and dropped her hand from Charlotte’s arm. “Sidney, dearest, I was just chatting with your friend here. I did not know she was here this evening, did you?”

“Mrs. Campion,...”

Sidney was interrupted, “Sidney, please, you know you call me Eliza, we are to be married soon, my dear.”

Charlotte had moved closer to the door during this exchange and muttered, “If you’ll excuse me,” as she slipped quickly past Sidney and out the door, practically running from the room. As she passed Sidney, though, she grazed her fingertips along his clenched fist at his side and she could have sworn his fist unclenched a fraction, almost as if he wanted to take her hand. However, she was determined to extract herself from the upcoming scene. She trusted Sidney and knew what Mrs. Campion was playing at, but she did not want to partake in any more of it. Though, no matter how much she told herself what Mrs. Campion said did not matter as much as what Sidney had told her earlier in the evening, Mrs. Campion’s words were hurtful nonetheless and she was glad to be rid of Mrs. Campion’s company. As she rushed down the hallway, Charlotte peered behind her to ensure that neither Mrs. Campion or Sidney were close behind and she ran right into a sturdy object, one that quickly turned into the frame of a man as Charlotte soon registered the hands on her arms to steady her. She looked up into the eyes of Lord Sutterfield.

“Miss Heywood, my, where are we rushing off to, or perhaps, what is it that we are running from?” He looked around the hall at this moment and raised one eyebrow in a questioning look.

“Lord Sutterfield, I took a break from the ballroom and found reprieve in the library and simply lost track of time. I was just rushing back to the gathering so that I did not worry anyone with my absence.”

“Well, I must confess, I noticed your absence as of late Miss Heywood and I would be happy to escort you back into the ballroom.” As he said this, he noticed the doors of a room towards the end of the hall open, a room he knew to be the library and saw a man and Mrs. Eliza Campion exit. He wondered to himself if there was a story as to the gathering that must have just taken place between Miss Heywood, Mrs. Campion and this unknown gentleman. He looked down at Charlotte and noticed she looked agitated, but he decided not to question her about it. Though, he was rather curious and he decided he might question someone else about it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, Eliza is a piece of work. She feigns confidence for we know she's grasping at straws when it comes to Sidney, so things will be dealt with. It is forthcoming.
> 
> Thank you for reading and the fun and kind comments, you all make my day and make this so much fun! I hope to update again this weekend!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter is longer and while I have been keeping each chapter to one person's perspective up to this point, this chapter has several characters' POVs. Maybe even a little of Eliza...  
> But, we really needed to end this ball. It was beginning to feel like another never-ending story... The ball that never ends.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 13**

  
  


“Mrs. Campion, I can not believe you would physically assault someone. Someone, whom I might add, has done nothing to you.”

Eliza dropped all pretense, scoffed, and said, “Oh please, Sidney, I did not assault the girl, I barely touched her. Can’t you see that she is trying to steal you away? Done nothing to me? Is that what you call nothing, Sidney? Truly?” Eliza moved closer to Sidney and said in a threatening tone, “I will ruin her, Sidney, mark my words. All it would take is a few tales to the right ears and all of London would not be able to talk of anything else. Is that what you want for her?” 

She moved to the doorway, hand turning the doorknob and looked back at him to add, “Ignore her, forget her, because that is what you need to do in order to keep her safe, Sidney.” She turned back around and with a quick flourish of her skirts, she exited the library, not bothering to close the door behind her. Sidney made his way to the door also in anger, right on her trail, but he found he had nothing to say at the moment. He began to leave, but found he could not occupy the same space as Mrs. Campion at the moment so when she looked over her shoulder at him with a questioning look of whether or not he would be accompanying her, he turned back around and went into the library once again.

Sidney was seething. He took some deep breaths and began pacing the room. Unfortunately, Eliza had the power to ruin Charlotte. She did know influential people. Granted, so did he, as well as Charlotte, but he would not want a disparaging word to come out about her at all. 

When he found that he had calmed down enough to speak to others, Sidney left the calm of the library with one last deep breath, feeling as if he would much rather remain here for the remainder of the evening. Perhaps with Charlotte at his side as they read by the fire. He closed his eyes to imagine the scene and it was with this image in his head that he felt he had calmed down enough to rejoin the festivities. He made his way back to the ballroom and saw his friends gathered in the same spot. Upon his return, Crowe simply held out a drink to him and this time, Sidney did not turn it down, downing it in one gulp.

Crowe’s eyebrows shot up. “I imagine you found who you were looking for and also someone you hoped not to find.” Sidney merely grunted in response. Crowe excused himself to get another drink, asking if Sidney would like another, but yet again, Sidney declined. He did not wish to attempt to drown his sorrows anymore this evening.

Sidney scanned the room and saw Mrs. Campion once again with her companions from earlier in the evening and from there he scanned the dance floor to see Charlotte dancing once again with Lord Sutterfield. He could not ignore the surge of jealousy that rose up in him, and then a moment of panic settled on him. Who knows what he missed between Charlotte and Eliza before he entered the room and he began to think all that he had put Charlotte through and could not stop his thoughts from wandering to the possibility that she may wish to be done with it all, including him.

“She is strong. She will not give up.”

Sidney looked at Esther, who had unexpectedly come up beside him. He gave her an appraising look, wondering how she knew what he was thinking.

“You’ve become like an open book since Charlotte has come into your life, Sidney Parker. I can read your eyes as you look at her.” She turned to him and smirked as she answered Sidney’s silent question. “ I am pleased to hear you admit that you can not marry Mrs. Campion and I hope you are willing to fight for Charlotte, for I believe she is more than willing to fight for you. You and I both know she is strong enough for it.”

“It does not change the fact that I wish I did not have to put her through any of it, Esther. She does not deserve Mrs. Campion’s contempt. I know she is more than capable of handling anything, yet who is to say that she won’t tire of it, or worse, discover that I am not worth the trouble?”

“I warned Charlotte away from you at the beginning of her stay in Sanditon, telling her that you were unstable, did she tell you that?,” Esther asked with a bit of amusement in her voice.

“No, Charlotte had not shared that bit of information with me,” Sidney said with a smirk on his face for he truly could not blame Esther for this observation of him. He knew very well that he was not always pleasant company.

“That did not keep her from you. Your anger towards her did not keep her from you. Sidney, if seeing you emerge from the cove did not make her run in the opposite direction, choosing to never speak to you again, then I think you can trust that Charlotte is in this for the long haul.” Esther could not help but laugh.

“I can not believe Babington told you that,” Sidney groaned.

Esther laughed and responded, “No secrets between us. You will have the same strong bond if I have anything to do about it. More so for Charlotte’s sake, however, no offense. She deserves happiness, you will just be the consolation prize for her much deserved happiness. She has been a good friend to me and I wish to see her happy and despite my best attempts to dissuade her, she appears to have decided that happiness lies with you,” Esther finished with a smile and a squeeze to Sidney’s arm. Sidney threw his head back slightly in laughter.

“Truly, what she sees in you is beyond me also,” Crowe muttered as he joined them. 

“I find it hard to believe myself,” Sidney admitted.

At that moment, Lady Gilmer was making her way over to them. She was a woman of elegance, evident in the way she walked, her style of dress, and the scale of the current grand event of which she was hostess, however, as she came closer, she would scowl after certain guests greeted her. Sidney was reminded slightly of Lady Denham while watching her. 

She stopped right in front of Sidney and he opened his mouth to speak a greeting as he began to bow, but Lady Gilmer spoke first, appearing to care little for decorum.

“So you are Mr. Sidney Parker. You were pointed out to me for I have heard a bit about you this evening from a friend.” She took a step back, a scowl on her face as she looked him up and down.

Sidney was going to confirm that he was indeed Sidney Parker, but he was fearful of speaking at the moment. He felt as if he should straighten up, hold his chin higher, and perhaps do a turn for her with his arms out. He knew he was being appraised.

Finally, Lady Gilmer stepped closer once again. “You are a handsome one, aren’t you? It’s unfortunate that good looks don’t always equal smarts. I’ve been acquainted with your Mrs. Campion for some time, thankfully never having to endure her presence for more than a few minutes at a time. She is insipid. I have met your Miss Heywood just this evening.” Sidney, wide-eyed from shock, directed his attention more fully to Lady Gilmer at this moment. She smiled, knowingly.

“Yes, I’ve only been introduced, and have merely only exchanged a few words with her, but I have also heard stories of her character. Now, she seems like a worthy companion. Any man would be lucky to have her, though they would have to be strong themselves, strong enough to be a partner, not a keeper, for she would never submit to someone else’s will, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Parker?” 

Sidney glanced towards Charlotte, still dancing with Lord Sutterfield, and smiled. “I would agree Lady Gilmer.”

“Now, she is wrapping up this dance with Lord Sutterfield, who, might I warn you Mr. Parker, may be a worthy adversary. Ask her to dance the next dance, Mr. Parker, your hostess this evening insists.”

Mrs. Campion appeared at Sidney’s side at that moment and tried to strike up a conversation with Lady Gilmer but quickly ceased talking as Lady Gilmer spoke over her.

“Mrs. Campion, I apologize and I hope you don’t mind, but I offered your fiance as the next dance partner for Miss Heywood, a new arrival in London and a guest of Lady Susan. I want to ensure our new arrival has a pleasant evening and I offered up your Mr. Parker here. Have you had the honor of meeting Miss Heywood, Mrs. Campion? What a remarkable young woman she is.”

Mrs. Campion did not hide her displeasure well as she responded, “I have met Miss Heywood,” clearly struggling to say her name as she had been trying her best thus far not committing it to memory. “What a shock London must be compared to her simple country life.”

“Mrs. Campion, I grew up in the country myself and I would hardly call it simple. Perhaps for some it is, but for ladies like myself and Miss Heywood, life will hardly ever be simple, as you say. For I feel Miss Heywood is a kindred spirit and women like us make life interesting.” Lady Gilmer looked directly at Mrs. Campion as she finished and gave her a smile that was obviously forced and fake.

Sidney had the feeling that Lady Gilmer knew exactly the wounds she was inflicting on Mrs. Campion and he bit his lip to hide his smile. 

Mrs. Campion cleared her throat and said, “Sidney and I were just leaving, though, so I feel utterly miserable at having to end the prospect of Mr. Parker having the next dance with Miss Heywood.”

Sidney was about to speak but once again Lady Gilmer beat him to it. “As it is my gathering, I simply must insist on Mr. Parker having this one last dance. You may go wait by the door for your coach, though, to be prepared to leave once the dance concludes, Mrs. Campion, if you wish.”

Eliza, not wishing to disrespect the hostess or someone as influential as Lady Gilmer, spoke through gritted teeth. “I guess one last dance would be acceptable, though I wish it would be with me. I only had the opportunity to share one dance myself with Sidney this evening.”

“You have a lifetime of balls and dances ahead of you, Mrs. Campion, let this one go.”

The air of finality in Lady Gilmer’s statement left the group speechless and the timing was impeccable as the current dance ended and Lord Sutterfield and Charlotte were leaving the dance floor and Lady Gilmer went to meet them.

Eliza turned and glared at Sidney and was about to speak, but Sidney strode away, following Lady Gilmer to have his dance with Charlotte.

Eliza was left stunned, angry, and absolutely mystified by the effect this girl seemed to have on people.

  
  


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Dancing with Lord Sutterfield was pleasant, Charlotte thought. He was charming, handsome, a wonderful conversationalist, attentive and a skilled partner. Though, he was no Sidney Parker. This thought kept running through her mind and while she smiled and laughed at what he said and she did in fact enjoy herself, she was happy when the dance ended. Upon their retreat from the dance floor, they were met first by Lady Gilmer, soon followed by Sidney.

“Miss Heywood, I have just met your friend from the summer and I insisted he must dance with you for how lovely it is for two friends to catch up with one another during a dance. Come, Lord Sutterfield, escort this old lady back to the refreshments and let’s allow these two friends to catch up.”

With a bow to Charlotte and offering his arm to Lady Gilmer, Lord Sutterfield said simply, “Of course, Lady Gilmer, it would be my pleasure.”

As soon as they left, Sidney wasted no time in gathering Charlotte close to him as they prepared for a waltz, Charlotte silently thanking her luck.

Charlotte looked up at Sidney, who had such a loving look in his eyes and asked, “Why do I feel as if Lady Gilmer is up to something?”

“It would seem, Miss Heywood, that you have gained yet another powerful friend. Is there anyone you can not charm?”

“I can think of at least one,” she stated and she began to look around to see if she could locate Mrs. Campion who she thought would surely have eyes on them. Sidney’s voice brought her back to him and the dance, though.

“She does not matter at the moment. Let us have this dance.” He pulled her closer than was appropriate but Charlotte did not protest and smiled up at him. She studied his face, trying to memorize each detail. The line of his strong jaw, the dark brown of his eyes that were currently staring intently at her, and how, at that precise moment, he smiled brightly as he seemed to be doing the same to her face. Charlotte smiled in return.

“I wish this dance would never end,” she admitted. 

“Neither do I,” he said. 

They passed the rest of the dance silently, reminiscent of the last dance they shared in London. Content to enjoy being in one another’s arms, staring longingly at one another, reveling in every second as if it would be their last dance together for some time, for neither of them truly knew if they would get a chance to dance with each other again.

At the conclusion of the dance, Sidney pulled her close before letting her go, releasing her a fraction before bowing but never taking his eyes off of her.

“Thank you for the dance, Mr. Parker,” Charlotte said rather breathlessly.

Sidney, in a seductively low voice replied, “It was my absolute pleasure Miss Heywood. Thank you for one of the most lovely evenings of my life.” He offered Charlotte his arm and they continued looking at one another as they walked, finally breaking eye contact long enough to notice Lady Gilmer beckon them towards her as she now stood with Lady Susan.

“Miss Heywood, Mr. Parker, it has been such a pleasure meeting you both this evening. You both have made this a rather less dull evening. Lord and Lady Babington wanted us to say good night for them, Lady Babington was feeling fatigued and wanted to retire for the evening. Mr. Parker, Mrs. Campion is waiting for you, I believe by the door. She huffed and angrily walked away during your dance.” Lady Gilmer winked at them both here. “Now, say good night, Mr. Parker. I rather enjoy some fun and intrigue but let’s not pretend that that dance set any minds at ease or stopped any tongues from wagging, it can be explained that the two of you are friends, but friends do not stare at one another the way you two do. Susan and I may have some work ahead of us. Be on your way, Mr. Parker.”

Charlotte blushed, feeling rather guilty, but not too much so, and she looked at Sidney who bowed, said good evening to the ladies and went on his way, though not without looking over his shoulder for one last look and disarming smile. Charlotte smiled in return and nodded her goodbye. When she turned her attention back to Susan and Lady Gilmer, they were both smiling mischievously at her. 

“Oh my, my dear, that dance made me hot,” Lady Gilmer said while fanning herself.

Charlotte blushed more deeply than a moment ago and Susan giggled.

“Now, I’ve had my fun for the night, is it over yet?” Lady Gilmer asked as she walked away, leaving Charlotte and Susan laughing lightly.

  
  


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Eliza watched them dance and grimaced. She observed the way Sidney looked at that girl with a look he used to give her, many years ago. At least, from what she remembered. She had to admit, it was rather clear the feelings he had for her and she became so angry, she had to walk away. She didn’t bother excusing herself from Lady Susan and Lady Gilmer’s company as she was quite sure they were conspiring against her. They were worthy opponents, she had to admit, but her name and reputation would not be sullied, she would not allow that to happen, no matter the lengths she had to go to. She already found herself fabricating details of her engagement to friends, she had eavesdropped on Lady Susan and Miss Heywood’s conversation in the library and had hidden behind curtains in the hall when she heard Lady Susan say her farewell to Miss Heywood and Eliza heard her approaching footsteps. Eliza was in disbelief at some of the steps she was willing to take in order to keep up this facade. If she were being truly honest with herself, she did not believe that marrying Sidney would be this difficult. She truly thought he would be somewhat happy and would forget about this girl. She certainly never guessed at the close relationship Lady Susan had formed with miss Heywood, either. Somewhere, in the far corner of Eliza’s mind, she wondered if this was all worth it?

Eliza walked towards the grand entrance, wanting to prepare to leave, begrudgingly taking the advice of Lady Gilmer and asking for her carriage to be prepared so that she may leave with Sidney at the end of their dance. As she stood near the door, a voice caressed her from behind.

“Mrs. Campion, we meet again.” Lord Sutterfield seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“I noticed your fiance dancing with the lovely Miss Heywood, a rather marvelous creature I had the opportunity to meet just this evening. I think Mr. Parker agrees.”

Eliza rolled her eyes, internally groaning at the fact yet another person was singing the praise of Miss Heywood and none too pleased at the intrusion of Lord Sutterfield. Lord Sutterfield and Eliza had known each other for a few years now and Eliza found him intriguing and strikingly handsome for much of their acquaintance. However, Eliza had determined that he was a charmer, a flirt, and it irked her that she could never hold his attention for too long before something else would distract him. She did not want to speak to him, especially on the topic of Miss Heywood. 

“Lord Sutterfield, I was just leaving.” She contemplated waiting outside in the cold to escape his company but he spoke again.

“I noticed the three of you having a gathering in the library. Discussing literature?”

“Just a discussion amongst friends, Lord Sutterfield,” Mrs. Campion feigned while studying her hands.

“Hmm… Miss Heywood seemed agitated afterwards and then I believe I noticed you and Mr. Parker returned to the ball room separately. If I didn’t know any better, I think there may be more to this story, especially if you were just in that ballroom and observed the two of them dancing together. Trouble in paradise before the wedding bells even ring, Mrs.Campion?” Lord Sutterfield smiled at her and it made her sick. She hated that people must notice the attention Sidney gives that girl and how her carefully weaved story of him waiting ten years for her, of their tragic love story having a long awaited happy ending, was falling apart at the seams, a thread being pulled away with each smile and glance he gave that girl. 

“Lord Sutterfield, everything is perfect. You notice close friends, that is all. Some may have called you and I close friends at one point, the way you would smile at me. And we both know there was never any truth to that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I notice my fiance approaching now and we are both eager to be in each other’s company in the carriage.” She turned and exited, not waiting to hear Lord Sutterfield’s response, not waiting for Sidney. She needed the cold air to hedge the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind comments!  
> I am sure you are happy to have reached the end of the ball and now we will be moving on.  
> I'm not entirely sure when I will be able to post again, the week before Christmas break in an elementary school is its own version of a joyful hell.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. Last week was brutal and holiday preparation continues.
> 
> Now we begin the day after the ball...

**Chapter 14**

Charlotte woke later than usual after a long and exciting evening the night before. She and Susan had departed soon after Sidney and Mrs. Campion. Lord Sutterfield had approached as he noticed the ladies making their way out and if Charlotte didn’t know better, he had looked at her with a much more mischievous glint in his eye than he had previously in the evening. He took her hand, placing a lingering kiss that made Charlotte blush. 

Charlotte stayed lying in bed, reminiscing of all that transpired the night before and remained thinking of the last exchange between herself and Lord Sutterfield. She could not help but think that he knew something or had a plan of his own. Charlotte sighed, closing her eyes again, thinking of how she disliked the idea of schemes or of people she barely knew knowing of her feelings and the details of the fire and resulting circumstance.

She opened her eyes and took in the room in which she was staying. She still could not believe that she was a guest of Lady Susan. She glanced to a shelf, making note of the small selection of books that she did not yet have time to peruse. She would love nothing more to stay in this room, reading for the remainder of the day. In fact, she thought she’d like nothing more than to stay in this room or in the library for the remainder of her stay. Charlotte knew this was not possible, however, nor was it in her character to hide from her problems. She rose from bed and prepared for the day.

Charlotte made her way down to breakfast and found Susan at the table in the dining room already. Breakfast looked and smelled delicious, set on the long table, on the end where Lady Susan presided.

“Good morning, Charlotte. I thought you might sleep later considering the evening you had last night.” She took a sip of her tea, looking sideways at Charlotte and smiling. 

“Good morning, Susan. Yes, I believe I needed a bit more rest. Lady Gilmer is quite the character.” Charlotte sidestepped Susan’s insinuation, for she felt no further commentary was needed on the previous evening when it came to her and Sidney. 

“Well, you seemed to have made quite the impression on Lady Gilmer, my dear. We already have a note from Lady Gilmer inviting us for lunch tomorrow. That is quite an honor, for you have met her. She is quite selective when she comes to the company she keeps.”

“I am not sure what appeal I would have for Lady Gilmer, but I will take satisfaction in knowing that the first gathering I have attended while staying with you, I did not make a complete fool of myself.”

“Charlotte, when are you going to realize your own merits? Lady Gilmer sees a lot of herself in you, you know. It is no secret that Lady Gilmer speaks her mind and you, my dear, are of the same nature. Maybe not as forthcoming, and perhaps a touch more apologetic about it at times, but still it is a quality that I admire and what endeared me to you.”

Charlotte took a sip of her tea, looking ahead of her and not at Susan as she replied, “I am not always one to freely speak my mind. I certainly did not say all that I had wanted when Mrs. Campion surprised me in the library last evening.” Charlotte grimaced, for she had not planned on telling Lady Susan of her encounter with Mrs. Campion, but she found she did not wish to keep it a secret, either. 

Susan merely put her teacup down and looked at Charlotte, waiting for her to elaborate.

Charlotte also put her teacup down and looked down before she began. “She informed me that Sidney has waited all these years for her and that they will be happy once marrying, that I was merely a distraction that would be easily forgotten.” Charlotte began eating to distract her mind and to hopefully stem the tears that pooled in her eyes. She silently admonished herself for allowing Mrs Campion’s words to affect her once again. 

Susan took hold of Charlotte’s hand and said reassuringly, “My, it sounds as if she is a bit delirious, so desperate to believe her own lies. You know that Sidney loves you, for it was quite evident when you two danced last night and I may not have been present for your entire discussion in the garden, but something tells me that you are well aware of his feelings towards you.”

Charlotte smiled shyly, “I do know of his feelings. I believe he loves me, but he did love Mrs. Campion once as well. She also solves the issue at hand, saving Sanditon and the Parker family. I would be a fool if I did not acknowledge that and I would never forgive myself if I came in the way of saving both the town and the Parker family. Neither would Sidney forgive himself if he jeopardized the resolution also. You can not deny that. The fact of the matter is, marriage is often a business decision. Therefore, we either come up with an alternate plan, or I leave hope with the memories I hold and move on.”

“Oh Charlotte, did you really think I was not already formulating a plan? Now, at the moment, I will not divulge much, but you simply just need to be yourself at this stage in the game. I will let you know if that changes.”

“I am not comfortable with that, Susan. I am one who does not like to remain in the shadows, in the unknown. I also do not feel comfortable with the fact that you call it a game.” Charlotte had concern etched on her face and a furrowed brow.

“I know, I know, but my dear, you must trust me and know that I always have your best interest at heart. Now, I have things to attend to, but today, you may take it easy. You had an exciting evening and we have a busier schedule the rest of the week. Enjoy some leisure today.”

She stood and left Charlotte alone to eat her breakfast and to mull over the thoughts swirling around in her head.

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Sidney woke early, not being able to rest soundly. Though, he had yet to leave his bed. He smiled, remembering his rendezvous with Charlotte in the garden, but as the dawn sunlight became brighter in his room, his mind’s thoughts grew with the light. He now found himself recalling the carriage ride home with Eliza.

~~~

By the time Sidney had reached the door of Lady Gilmer’s estate to make his way outside, noticing that Mrs. Campion had already made her way out to the carriage, he noticed Lord Sutterfield retreating back to the ballroom. He had seen him in discussion with Eliza and noticed her displeasure, but his curiosity in that discussion was less than his pleasure of having just shared a dance with Charlotte, so he pushed it aside.

Once in the carriage, he knew it would be an uncomfortable ride.

Mrs. Campion first turned away from him, looking out the window. As the carriage began to move, she remained in her angry stance, clearly tensed, contempt rolling off of her. When they had made it a safe distance away from the estate, she turned towards Sidney, intent on letting him know of her displeasure.

“Did you not hear my warning, Sidney? I am quite capable of ruining her reputation. What is to stop me from regaling my friends during tea tomorrow with salacious details of Miss Heywood’s summer adventure in Sanditon?”

“Mrs. Campion, Lady Gilmer insisted on the dance. Was I to publicly deny the hostess’ request?”

Eliza turned fully forward now, glaring at Sidney head on. “You could have shown some restraint, Sidney. You danced with her most inappropriately. Why are you so content making this so difficult? Why must you continue to deny your feelings for me? Why is it that you have yet to accept the fact that I am your only hope?” Eliza looked at him seriously, her anger dissipated, and if Sidney didn’t know any better, he thought she may have been a bit hurt. Though, it would not dissuade Sidney from speaking his mind. He knew it may be a risk with Eliza’s threat hanging over Charlotte’s head, but as the carriage gained speed, Sidney’s courage seemed to gain strength.

“Mrs. Campion, I admit that years ago, I cared for you. I thought it was love, but it was a young infatuation. Many years later now, and with some wisdom gained, I have learned what love is. As I have already told you this evening. I don’t believe I could ever love you. You seem to take far too much pleasure in obtaining what you wish for at the cost of others’ happiness. That is not a person I could be inclined to love. You threaten to ruin the reputation of someone pure of heart, simply because she ruins this illusion you have built in your mind. It is not Charlotte’s fault that I fell in love with her.” Sidney’s anger was growing throughout his speech, and he noticed Mrs. Campion’s shock at his utterance of the last line. She apparently could still not believe that Sidney was in love with Charlotte. He would not allow her shock to stop him from finishing what he had to say.

“I don’t know what has happened to make you so jaded, to only care for your own wishes with utter disregard of what others wish for. Perhaps this has always been your nature and I was blind to it, or perhaps it has developed over the years. I don’t know how to make you a more sympathetic and generous person. I don’t know if that is a possibility for you. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I am certain that it is not love. You could have invested money with no conditions of marriage, yet you did. You could handle this situation with delicacy, yet you do not. It is not an ideal situation we find ourselves in and I want you to know… It is all your doing. If you are unhappy, it is by your hand only. I myself am unhappy with this situation and again, it is your doing.”

Sidney was thrilled to notice that the timing of the end of his speech matched with the arrival to the Campion residence. He exited and held his hand out to assist her down from the carriage. She took his hand, stepped down and took a few steps before she turned around but Sidney was already in the carriage and it began its descent quickly.

Sidney arrived at Bedford Place shortly after, retiring to his bedchambers immediately and settled in for a restless night sleep. 

~~~

Sidney rubbed his eyes in frustration over Eliza and then opened his eyes more fully, deciding it was time to face the day. He did so with a slight satisfaction at speaking his mind more freely to Mrs. Campion and with a slight trepidation of what she might do as a result of his candor. However, he knew he had a lot to do in order to obtain what he wanted… a life with Charlotte. It was with this resolution that he placed his feet steadily on the floor, firm in the belief that he could make it happen.

  
  


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After the carriage had pulled away from the Campion residence, Eliza looked after the carriage, thinking Sidney quite the fool. She knew marriage was merely a business decision, nothing more. He spoke of love and she knew well that love had very little to do with marriage. She would never change her choice from all those years ago. She wrapped her luxurious wrap more tightly around her shoulders, not so much to ward off the air of the chilly evening, more so to remind herself of the life of elegance she had built for herself. She had made the right choice. She turned and smiled at the sight of her opulent home, her fingers caressed the silk of her gown, and she thought herself silly for allowing a tear to fall from her eyes earlier in the evening. She was wealthy and of high status in the beau monde and Sidney would soon learn the fact that marriage was a proposition, a fact her parents told her and that she fully believed. She did not care that he did not love her anymore, she had come too far on this long lost love road to give him up and she would take her time to decide what was to be done with the girl. For Eliza knew from years of practice that one had to be calculating in such matters and not rush in with rash decisions. 

Eliza did not care if Sidney had mistresses, she was not unfamiliar with that in marriage, she herself had trysts of her own over the years, but she would not allow a dalliance with Miss Heywood. She smiled more fully, thinking how far she had come in life and knowing all that she had achieved sometimes took scheming and sacrifices. She had learned how to deal with life and she thought it might as well be herself who teaches young Miss Heywood her first lesson in real life. Fantasies of love and always being content and happy were the ideas of children, the sooner one learned that, the better. Eliza knew you don’t always know what you truly want in life, but money and status should always be something you strive for. The rest is trivial, it does not matter in the grand scheme of things.

The front door of her home was opened at that moment and Mr. Frederick called out to her, “My Lady, do come inside, it is quite chilly tonight.”

She nodded, lifting her skirts as she began walking up the few stairs, thinking how she had not even noticed the chill in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter. It took a while to write and then edit. I am still not fully happy with it, but such is the way as a perfectionist.
> 
> I hope to post the next chapter before the holidays if baking and wrapping do not overrun my life!
> 
> Thank you again for reading and all the lovely comments, I love reading them!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for lunch at Lady Gilmer's

**Chapter 15**

  
  


Charlotte found herself in the entryway of Lady Gilmer’s home once again and she thought how different it looked in the light of day. Gone were the large floral arrangements, the throngs of people, but the grandeur was still evident and ever more present without the distractions of the ball. Charlotte was far less nervous being here now than she was the other evening. As a result, she could more clearly take in the details of the painted ceiling, noticing in portions of the painted sky, some scenes appeared as the nighttime sky and Charlotte could make out the glinting of painted stars. Susan’s hand on her arm brought Charlotte’s head down from the stars and together they moved in the direction of the dining room to dine with Lady Gilmer. 

As Susan and Charlotte entered the dining room, they found Lady Gilmer seated at the head of the table, spoon halfway to her mouth. 

“I was hungry,” Lady GIlmer offered with a shrug of her shoulders while placing the spoon back into the bowl placed in front of her.

Susan laughed as she took her seat at the right of Lady Gilmer. “I did not realize we were late, Lady Gilmer.” Susan’s mischievous grin indicating her facetiousness. 

Lady Gilmer gave Susan a sideways glance, squinting her eyes, in mock disapproval of the light teasing. “Susan, you are well aware that you are quite punctual, but I was told the food was ready, I decided it would delay some of the wait to have it set, and well, I sat down and I can not simply ignore food that is sat right in front of me.” Here, she turned to Charlotte, and shrugged her shoulders.

“Charlotte understands I am sure. I understand that you have many siblings, you must eat once the food is placed in front of you as well. She will not judge me,” Lady Gilmer added in mock indignance. 

Charlotte laughed and responded, “Certainly not, Lady Gilmer, no judgement from me. Thank you for the invitation to join you for lunch today.” Charlotte was quite happy that Lady Gilmer’s humor set her at ease and she found she felt quite comfortable in her presence.

“Now, as we have already begun eating, let us skip the niceties also. No talk of the weather, or of any other trivial matter. Let us get to the matter at heart, shall we?” Lady Gilmer looked between Susan and Charlotte before settling her gaze on Charlotte.

Charlotte looked a bit taken aback and she looked across the table at Susan who gave nothing away and offered no explanation and then met the glance of Lady Gilmer.

Charlotte felt the need to respond, but she was quite in the dark as to what Lady GIlmer was referring to. “You must forgive me, Lady Gilmer, for I was not made aware of a specific agenda for today’s gathering.” She swallowed, trying to remove the lump in her throat, her ease of a few moments ago nearly fully diminished. 

“We could at least finish eating first, Lady Gilmer,” Susan stated, hoping to reprieve Charlotte of some trepidation.

“We can certainly eat and discuss the plan, Susan.” Lady Gilmer gave Susan a tight-lipped smile and then cleared her throat. “Charlotte, I am well aware of the situation you find yourself in. The whole, you fell in love with a man, said man’s irresponsible brother’s failed business venture forced the man you love into an engagement with a reprehensible rich widow, and the both of you are too good-hearted to sacrifice one another’s happiness so that a town and family will be spared, situation.” Lady Gilmer said this all in one breath and so quickly that it took Charlotte’s mind a few moments to catch up after Lady Gilmer had concluded speaking. Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock and she sat back in her chair, not knowing how, or if, she should respond.

Lady Gilmer made the decision easy for Charlotte as she continued talking. “Now, I think it is very noble of the both of you for the sacrifice each of you has made, but I think it unnecessary. Now, I have discovered the amount that is owed and I can not cover all the cost, for it is quite the sum. Needless to say, Tom will need a partner moving forward or will need to be removed from all decision-making. I mean, honestly.” She paused, shaking her head and looked at Susan for a roll of the eyes. She then looked directly at Charlotte and said, “Though, I will be investing and I have friends that will also. Either by their own volition or by encouragement from me.”

Charlotte opened her mouth to speak, but in what Charlotte was learning was true Lady Gilmer fashion, Lady GIlmer held up her hand to signal that she was not finished.

“I am not inclined to invest because I have a fondness for Tom Parker. In truth, I have never met the man and I’ve told you, he is a complete fool and a terrible businessman. Nor have I ever visited this Sanditon and can not speak of any of its merits, but I do have a vested interest in you, Charlotte. You have intrigued me ever since I heard you were to be Lady Susan’s guest, for she, like me, has discernible taste in the company she keeps. After meeting you, I can say that I see some of me in you. Granted, you still seem to have all your manners intact, but I see a bright, headstrong, influential, and spirited young woman in front of me. I may be unconventional in a number of ways, but it may surprise you to discover that I am in fact a romantic at heart. I was lucky enough to marry for love and money just happened to be part of the deal, but it was not a requirement for me.”

Lady Gilmer took hold of Charlotte’s hand, taking her by surprise, and added, “Not to mention, that I take pleasure in putting others in their place. I am, of course, referring to Mrs. Campion.” She rolled her eyes while saying her name and squeezed Charlotte’s hand.

“I have been acquainted with her for years and with every discussion she would try to rope me into, I would always find an excuse as quickly as possible to remove myself. I have overheard a number of her conversations and I am truly amazed at her ability to go on and on about fabric swatches, hair adornments, other peoples’ misgivings as idle gossip, and her favorite topic… herself. I have never heard someone who speaks of themselves as often as she does.”

Lady Gilmer relinquished Charlotte’s hand now but added, “So yes, I am quite happy to help you find your happy ending and I will not lie, it makes it all that much better that it will leave Mrs. Campion jilted.”

Charlotte felt the need to speak now and she leaned forward determined and face set. “I do not want to be part of anything cruel or calculating. I will admit that it has been a goal of mine since the other evening to find a solution to Mr. Parker’s problem, even if it does not end happily for me. I simply wish to save a family, a town, and the happiness of a man I love, even if he finds that happiness elsewhere.”

Lady Gilmer smiled, then turned to Susan. “Just when I thought she was so much like me, she utters this speech. She is far too good, Susan. I am not sure I was ever as good as our Miss Heywood here.” She turned her attention back to Charlotte and continued. “My dear, my plan does not contain anything cruel, or rather, not too cruel at least, and I admire your virtuousness, but I do have to have my fun. I am putting a lot of money into this venture, you know.” Lady Gilmer laughed and patted Charlotte’s hand. “Now let’s eat. I can not quite believe that I was able to last this long between bites as hungry as I am. Maybe you were right, Susan. We should have eaten and then discussed. You always were far more wise than I ever was.”

Susan and Lady Gilmer went about eating and chatting about the ball the other evening, but Charlotte’s mind was full of thoughts. Excited and fearful thoughts, hopeful and apprehensive thoughts, but she landed on a sanguine feeling as she resumed eating.

  
  
  


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As Lady Susan and Charlotte were dining with Lady Gilmer, Sidney was heading towards Babington’s estate.

He had a bit more hop in his step since the ball the other evening and finally speaking his mind to Mrs. Campion. He smiled ruefully, pondering whether or not he would have spoken so freely that evening had it not been for Charlotte. Her presence and declaration certainly gave him the confidence to finally speak with Eliza with candor. He truly was his best self around Charlotte. It was with this thought and a smile on his face that he was granted entrance into the Babington estate.

As Sidney was welcomed into Babington’s home, Babington was coming down the stairs, Esther following close behind. The two old friends greeted each other boisterously and Esther surprised even herself when she enveloped Sidney in a tight embrace. Sidney began to remove his hat when Babington said, “Best to leave it on, we’re not staying.” Babington turned to Esther and asked if she was ready to depart.

Sidney gave his friend a puzzled look, curious as to where they would be going, as this gathering was proposed to be a simple gathering of friends, a common occurrence between the two friends. 

Babington, however, met Sidney’s questioning look with a clap of his hand on Sidney’s upper arm and a chuckle as he walked past him, saying, “Come on, you’ll find out soon enough, and I wager that you’ll be pleased.”

Sidney looked to Esther for some answers, but she smirked and walked past him also. At the door though, she turned and said, “Trust me, you will enjoy this venture, I am sure of it.” She turned and left, leaving Sidney no choice but to trust his friends and follow.

In the carriage, Sidney did not bother asking any questions and the newlyweds were seated in perfect contentment across from him. Sidney kept his eyes on the passing scenery hoping to soon guess the destination. It did not take long for Sidney to discern where they were headed and with a furrowed brow, he looked at Lord and Lady Babington across from him. They met his look and both simply laughed. It was not long after that the carriage pulled up in front of Lady Gilmer’s home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am rushing this chapter a bit, so I apologize for any errors. I wanted to give you one more chapter before the holidays as I am not sure when I will post the next chapter.
> 
> I wish you all a wonderful remaining holiday season and a joyous new year! 
> 
> I can not quite believe I find myself posting a fan fiction story, it is a venture I never thought I would undertake, but you all have been so inspiring and as I have always loved writing, I decided to go for it!   
> The Sanditon Squad has been the bright spot to this crazy year and I have to thank you for reading and for all of your wonderful, insightful, and kind comments- they truly make this so much fun! 
> 
> So, thank you dear readers, for making 2020 not so crappy!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidney and the Babingtons arrive at Lady Gilmer's estate.

**Chapter 16**

  
  
  


Charlotte and Susan were preparing to leave Lady Gilmer’s and while Susan and Lady Gilmer were deep in conversation after attempting a short goodbye and clearly failing, Charlotte wandered to the front entryway to study the ceiling once more. She found the location of the nighttime sky again and saw the painting of Polaris. She observed the extra detail, noticing that no matter what direction you looked at the star, it shone the same and appeared to twinkle, reflecting light so well that it would seem it could light the entire entryway. Truly, a guiding light. Charlotte smiled, thinking of how fitting it was to have found this guiding light in the home of someone who could very well be guiding Charlotte to her future with Sidney.

Charlotte’s reverie was broken when the front bell rang and a footman appeared, moving briskly past her to allow admittance to whomever waited on the opposite side of the door. Charlotte looked to the door and first was surprised but then laughed as she saw Sidney enter the home, removing his hat before noticing her presence. Charlotte looked up at the star again and she could have sworn it twinkled extra bright, almost in a winking manner. 

Sidney’s eyes soon found Charlotte and his shock was clearly registered on his face and in the way he halted in the act of removing his coat. Babington and Esther appeared soon after and brought both Charlotte and Sidney’s attention to their friends. Esther made her way to Charlotte, hugging her and announcing, “We thought we’d just miss you, Charlotte. I am so happy to see you, though. Isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” She turned to her husband and Sidney. Sidney still appeared to be confused and speechless so Babington answered, “I am most pleased to see you, Miss Heywood.” He looked over to his friend, who had lost his look of surprise, but the look of confusion remained. Babington lowered his voice and said, “You will know all soon, Parker.” He walked to his wife and Charlotte, greeting Charlotte and then turning to his wife, “My dear, let’s go and greet Lady Gilmer, shall we?” Esther took her husband’s arm, winked at Charlotte and they both followed the footman into the adjoining room in which Lady Gilmer and Susan still occupied, leaving Charlotte and Sidney alone.

Charlotte clasped her hands together in front of her as she watched Esther and Babington leave and then turned to see Sidney intently looking at her. Charlotte opened her mouth to say hello, but Sidney closed the distance between them so quickly she did not even manage to get a word out. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a room on the opposite side of the hallway of the room where their friends just entered. Charlotte was surprised by the sudden movement and quickly looked around and noticed they were in a study with a large desk further set in the room and bookshelves on the wall behind. She looked back at Sidney as he closed the door. He leaned back on the door a little and Charlotte’s mouth went dry when she noticed the look he gave her. She was speechless as she stared at Sidney and luckily, no words were needed as he made his way towards her, grabbed her by the waist with one hand while cradling her cheek with the other, bringing her face to his and crashing his lips to hers. The kiss began in a demanding and desperate exchange, making Charlotte gasp and quickly needing to catch her breath. Sidney slowed the kiss and pulled away slightly for both to catch their breath. However, he did not move far as he grazed her nose with his and brought their foreheads together. He kissed her left cheek but did not remove his lips completely from her face as he traced his lips to her chin, lightly kissing it before tracing his lips to her other cheek. Charlotte’s mouth fell open, her breath quickening, anticipating and hoping for another kiss on the lips. Though, Sidney pulled away and brought both hands up to cradle her face and gave her such a sweet smile and said a raspy, “Hello.”

Charlotte laughed lightly and returned his greeting with her own breathy, “Hello.” Sidney lowered his hands from her face to grasp both of her hands in his and said, “We should probably make our way out, we could have an audience wondering where we are, but I wanted to give you a proper greeting.” He kept hold of one of her hands as he led her back into the entryway.

As Charlotte closed the door of the study behind her, Lady Gilmer was just appearing out of a door on the opposite side. When she noticed the two, she winked and said aloud, “They are still here in the entryway, the two lovebirds!”

Susan was the next to appear and greeted Sidney, “Mr. Parker, a pleasure to see you again. Unfortunately, Charlotte and I were just leaving. We hope to see you again soon, though.” 

Charlotte looked at Susan almost pleadingly, very much wanting to stay with the newly arrived guests. Especially since she gathered that a topic of discussion would be the plan to help raise the necessary funds. She wanted to be a part of the discussion, wanted to hear of all the plans. She made her way to Susan’s side, fully prepared to ask if they could stay longer when Susan said, “I know you would rather stay, but we can not. Trust in the people who are on your side.” Susan turned and made her exit.

Charlotte looked at Sidney and gave a shrug of her shoulders and a wistful smile. Lady Gilmer, apparently ready to begin her next meeting, said “Let’s go Mr. Parker, if I am correct in my assumption, I believe we already greeted Miss Heywood in a way that will suffice as a greeting and a goodbye. Your presence is now required elsewhere.”

Sidney nodded at Lady Gilmer as he made his way to her and offered Charlotte an apologetic smile but also a wink as Lady Gilmer entered the room. Sidney then said, “We will hopefully see each other soon. Goodbye, Charlotte.”

The way he said her name brought a smile to Charlotte’s face. “Goodbye, Sidney.”

Sidney entered the drawing room and Charlotte glanced up at the ceiling again, this time giving Polaris a wink of her own.

  
  


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Sidney closed the door of the drawing room, watching Charlotte leave as he did so and then turned around where he was met with six pairs of expectant eyes on him. 

“Have a seat by me, Mr. Parker. Come now, we have much to discuss.” Lady Gilmer’s tone conveyed business.

Sidney took the seat next to Lady Gilmer, still a bit at a loss for words for he had not expected this turn of events for the day. Sidney was not even fully seated before Lady Gilmer began to speak.

“Now, I will be investing some money into the Sanditon venture and I will be working my charm on others I know. It may be a struggle to raise all of the funds, but I think we may soon have raised a considerable amount. Now, that is merely only one matter to contend with. Another is convincing Mr. Tom Parker to take a secondary role in this venture. He simply can not be trusted to remain at the helm moving forward. Those investing will need that reassurance and Mr. Parker, I suggest you to be the one taking on the new leadership role.” Sidney took a shuddering breath because he knew Tom would be displeased with this notion. Lady Gilmer continued, ignoring Sidney’s audible hesitation at this juncture of the plan. “Another obstacle is that of Mrs. Campion. She will need to be the one to break this engagement. I am not sure if she will do it out of the kindness of her heart, she may need to be coerced into doing it. I jest, of course, she will most definitely need to be persuaded for I am not sure if she has much kindness in her heart, unless it had cost a great deal of money to obtain and she could show it off as the latest fashion.”

Lady Gilmer paused and looked directly at Sidney. “It is quite the undertaking, this task, and you will need to play your part, Mr. Parker.” She did not allow Sidney to say anything as she then turned to the Babingtons. “I am also one to prepare for all contingencies, so we do need to line up a number of investors and I may require help with that, if the two of you don’t mind. Also, we may need to enlist someone to hold the attention of Miss Heywood, a person Mrs. Campion can feel is a threat and that Miss Heywood may be tempted by. I believe Lord Sutterfield has already volunteered himself to fill this role. He is a decent enough fellow, a bit pompous, but I saw him and Miss Heywood the other night. He seemed enamored indeed. Susan knows him a bit better than I and she says that his reputation of being a bit of a rake is not wholly earned and I believe him to be the perfect candidate to hold Miss Heywood’s attention while also allowing Mrs. Campion to believe that she does not have to worry too much about her. At this stage in the game, I do not think it is required that we let Lord Sutterfield into the plans, we can keep him in the dark a bit. Though, at some point, we may need to make him privy to some details so that he does not feel duped, the poor besotted fellow. 

The entire time Lady Gilmer discussed Lord Sutterfield, Sidney was fidgeting in his seat, noticeably uncomfortable with the prospect of another gentleman admiring Charlotte. He cleared his throat. “I don’t know if that is entirely necessary. I can certainly keep my distance from Miss Heywood at gatherings and be more attentive to Mrs Campion if that is what is needed.”

Lady Gilmer patted Sidney on the arm. “Oh, what a fine gentleman you are, Mr. Parker. However, I believe your idea has less to do with you being self-sacrificing and more to do with unease of another gentleman paying Miss Heywood attention. Nice try. No, Lord Sutterfield will be perfect for what is needed. However, you will also need to be more attentive to Mrs. Campion, so you may have the most difficult task of all of us, Mr. Parker. And please, you will have to control those longing stares for Miss Heywood and no meeting in secret rooms, alcoves, gardens,... nowhere.” She gave Sidney a stern stare and Sidney merely nodded, frightened to deny her or even speak an agreement.

“Good. Now, we have some work ahead of us and we will be together tomorrow night at the opera, I believe. It is time for you to go. All this excitement has me wanting a nap. Goodbye.” Lady Gilmer stood and walked out of the room. 

Lady Gilmer’s three guests remained sitting, stunned by her quick departure and also the quick manner in which Lady Gilmer spoke of what was needed moving forward.

“My, I thought Lady Gilmer was quite like my aunt, but she is an even more rare breed. I admire that. Next time we have guests that I tire of, I am simply going to state that it is time for them to leave, merely say goodbye, and walk away without seeing them out. I hope you will not be too embarrassed, dear.” Esther patted her husband on the hand as Babington laughed. Esther continued, “I am not even sure why she invited us here, we knew our job and learned very little new information, but at least we did get to see Charlotte.” Esther looked at Sidney and noticed that he looked down, but before he did, she did not miss the large smile that lit up Sidney’s face.

The footman entered at this time to see Lady Gilmer’s guests out. The Babingtons and Sidney rose, making their way to the door. Sidney stopped in the entryway, looking up at the ceiling, for a glimmer of light had caught his attention. He noticed a star as part of the intricately painted ceiling reflecting the light of the entryway. He smiled looking up at it. He then heard Esther’s voice, calling him. “Sidney, are you ready?”

Sidney took a deep breath, thinking of how it had been an eventful day. “Yes, I’m ready.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned on posting the next chapter the day after Christmas, but it took me a bit to find writing motivation. Then, I have been editing this chapter all day. I think I could have kept making changes. 
> 
> Anyways, I wish you a happy New Year! 
> 
> Again, thank you for reading and comments are always welcome, I love hearing your thoughts- they help to get the creative writing juices flowing!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have left Lady Gilmer's and the first event of the "plan" gets underway...

**Chapter 17**

  
  


Charlotte was seated across from Susan in the carriage leaving Lady Gilmer’s estate, peering out the window. Soon, the scenery outside the carriage was not enough to distract Charlotte from the fact that she could feel Susan studying her. Charlotte slowly turned her head to meet Susan’s gaze.

“I am sorry we could not stay longer, for I know you would have liked to visit with your friends, but Lady Gilmer insisted she meet with them alone,” Susan offered as further explanation for their departure once Lord and Lady Babington and Sidney arrived.

“Lady Gilmer is quite extraordinary. I was thinking… I can not figure out why you led her away the night of her ball when she was first walking towards us. You claimed you wanted to save me from her.” Charlotte gave Susan an inquisitive look.

“Lady Gilmer, as you well know now, can be… brusque. Sometimes overwhelming when first meeting her. I knew that she would be pleased with you, though I also knew that you were feeling a little overwhelmed by the evening already. I should know by now that you can handle anything, but I still have a strong urge to protect you, my dear. So, I decided to protect you and allowed her to ask questions of you to me alone before she bombarded you with her barrage of questions.”

“She is truly one of a kind.” Charlotte’s face turned from a fond smile to one of complete contemplation as she once again turned to look out the carriage window. After a few moments, Charlotte turned back to Susan. “Do you think this plan will work? I truly do not see Mrs. Campion releasing Sidney from this engagement. To her, Sidney is a prize to be won. She said to me during the boat race at the regatta that she did not see the point in entering a race unless you intended to win. Mrs. Campion believes she is in the midst of a race, currently in the lead, and won’t be crossing the finish line, announced as the victor, until the vows are exchanged at the altar. She won’t give him up.” Charlotte had begun fidgeting with her hands while speaking and Susan reached for her hands.

“Charlotte, I agree that Mrs. Campion does present the more difficult challenge of this plan, but I believe she could be one to be brought to see reason. It won’t be easy, I will admit. We must present things to her as a benefit to herself, we can not appeal to her empathetic side, for I fear she does not have one. You have a formidable bunch standing with you, though, so take heart and remember… The race is not yet run.”

Charlotte nodded, not being able to speak for fear that her voice would give away the fear she still truly felt. She turned her attention to the window again, making note of the changing colors of the leaves, how quick the transition seemed to be this year, from summer to fall, from green and full of life to orange and yellow and on the cusp of falling to the ground.

  
  


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Eliza had been rifling through her post when she noticed Sidney’s name and tore open the missive. It was an invitation to the opera the following evening and an apology, of sorts. It did not contain an apology per se, but it did convey that he did, in fact, see the situation for what it was and that he would be happy to make amends by escorting her to the opera. Eliza wore a satisfied grin and dropped her hand holding the letter to her lap as she called for the carriage to be prepared. She announced aloud, “I need to go into town for shopping, make haste!”

Eliza stood to make her way upstairs to make some final adjustments to her appearance before leaving. As she stood, she had already forgotten about the letter that laid in her lap, allowing it to fall to the floor. Soon after Eliza departed the room, Mrs. Collins, the housekeeper, entered to clear the tray of tea. She bent to pick up the discarded letter from the floor and she could not help herself from peering at the letter. Mrs. Collins had worked for Mrs. Campion before Eliza was even married, therefore, she was not unfamiliar with correspondence from Mr. Sidney Parker. She recalled how Mr. Parker had always been kind and treated her with warmth and respect. Granted, it had been a number of years since the last letter gracing his name had found its way to Mrs. Campion, but Mrs. Collins prided herself on being one with a keen attention to detail. She looked the letter over and she noted that changes in his handwriting were bound to happen in a decade’s time, though, if Mrs. Collins were a betting woman, she would bet all her money that this letter was not from Mr. Sidney Parker. It appeared more fanciful, loops appearing on letters that were not present years ago. She did not see that befitting Mr. Parker’s character.

Mrs. Campion had never been overly hostile to Mrs. Collins in her years with her, though Mrs. Campion also did not emit an abundance of warmth or friendliness to the woman either. Just enough to keep her loyal as Mrs. Collins was a good person with a kind heart. As Mrs. Collins held the letter, she shook her head, noting that if Mrs. Campion was not so concerned with herself at all times, perhaps she would have noticed these details as well. Either way, Mrs. Collins muttered to herself, “We shall see...”

  
  
  


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Sidney stood outside the carriage, holding his arm out to assist Mrs. Campion before entering the opera house. He was silently cursing Babington for the hundredth time since he had been informed that an invitation had been sent along with a letter to Mrs. Campion that found him in his current predicament. Sidney had been nearly belligerent in the carriage leaving Lady Gilmer’s home when he was told not only was an invitation sent but that an accompanying letter had been forged in his name that conveyed to Mrs. Campion that he realized the truth of the situation and he would be a better fiance from here on out. Or, at least that’s all of what Babington recalled writing and since Sidney had never seen this letter that was supposed to have come from him, he had to rely on Babington's word. Which apparently was not all too reliable. Babington could not recall verbatim what he had written and that had angered Sidney even more.

It was the pinching of Mrs. Campion’s grasp on his arm that brought Sidney back to the present as he gave the best smile he could muster in her direction before ascending the stairs with her.

“I do hope tonight’s performance is better than the last I attended. I was in fear of falling asleep throughout the entire performance. I had to rely on looking at fellow attendees and judging their fashion as a way to occupy my mind.”

“Is that so?” Sidney did his best to inject some enthusiasm in his question, but honestly, how was he to respond to that?

Eliza clasped on more tightly to Sidney’s arm and said in a lower tone, “I am happy to be here with you tonight. Attending with you, this performance is surely bound to be more exciting.” She looked at Sidney with a tight-lipped smile on her face and Sidney studied her face, looking for any sincerity. He noticed how her smile didn’t reach her eyes, how she quickly went back to a stone-faced expression and looked ahead of her again. Sidney wondered when it was last that Eliza felt true happiness. As he had been pondering this, they had reached the Campion box and had reached their seats. As he let go of her arm so that they may sit, he found himself pitying Eliza for he knew what it was like to find little happiness in life. 

However, she then opened her mouth and spoke, quickly erasing any sympathetic feelings Sidney may feel towards her as she said, “Well, look who it is, little Miss thing and, well I do believe that is Lord Sutterfield. They look splendidly happy together.”

Sidney’s eyes followed Mrs. Campion’s to a box across from them, at the precise moment when Lord Sutterfield’s lips met Charlotte’s cheek. Sidney took a sharp intake of breath, clenched his jaw, and his hands formed fists in his lap.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have worked on my lesson plans, but I am holding onto the holiday break for dear life, so writing and editing this chapter seemed more appealing.
> 
> Tomorrow I return to reality but I hope that you all had wonderful holidays and once again, thank you for the kind comments!
> 
> Also, thank you to @ivy_toom on Twitter for the chats on the chapters because I have found them quite insightful and they help me when writing!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night at the Opera

**Chapter 18**

  
  


Charlotte was making her way downstairs when she heard a voice that sounded familiar, yet she could not quite recall to whom it belonged. She slowed her steps, thinking of people she had met recently, for she knew it was a recent acquaintance. She had turned at the upper landing and just before she would have seen his face, Charlotte knew who would be at the bottom of the stairs. 

Lord Sutterfield stood tall and proud, hands folded behind his back, smiling while he conversed with Lady Susan. When Charlotte had made it halfway down the last set of stairs, both Susan and Lord Sutterfield turned to greet her. Susan wore her signature demure smile and Lord Sutterfield’s gaze travelled up and down Charlotte’s body, making her feel rather exposed. As a result, Charlotte blushed and by the time she made it to the bottom of the stairs, he had that dashing smile she had seen quite frequently at Lady Gilmer’s ball. He leaned in close and whispered, “You look quite lovely tonight, Miss Heywood.”

“Thank you, Lord Sutterfield. I was not aware that you would be joining us this evening.” Charlotte stared pointedly at Susan as she spoke. 

“I was so happy to see Lord Sutterfield the other evening but did not get a chance to catch up as much as I would have liked. I don’t believe I told you Charlotte, but our families have known each other for years and Lord Sutterfield and I have some fond memories together. I knew he would thoroughly enjoy the opera tonight so I simply had to invite him and I was thrilled when he was available. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to grab something.” Susan left, sweeping her skirts with a flourish, seeming quite proud of herself. This left the two of them alone and Charlotte could not help but think this was purposefully done.

Lord Sutterfield had not taken his eyes off of Charlotte yet. “Miss Heywood, I hope you are not displeased with my presence tonight. I feel I must be honest with you. I could not pass up the opportunity to get to know you better. I was quite forlorn that we did not get much time together the other evening.” Lord Sutterfield offered his arm to Charlotte to lead her to the doorway.

Charlotte knew for certain that this arrangement was not merely an opportunity for old friends to get reacquainted with one another. She smiled meekly at Lord Sutterfield and took his arm, “Lord Sutterfield, I am in no way displeased by your attendance this evening. I look forward to getting to know you better as well.” They made their way to the door and Lady Susan soon followed closely behind them. Charlotte looked over her shoulder at Susan and gave her a calculating look.

Lord Sutterfield assisted Susan into the carriage first followed by Charlotte. In the few moments when Charlotte was alone with Susan, sitting down next to her, Charlotte whispered, “I am assuming this is part of the plan that I was not informed of. Am I to play an obliging part in this  _ game _ this evening?” Charlotte’s face betrayed her tone, wearing the sweetest of smiles while she spoke to Susan in a tone clearly conveying her displeasure.

Susan looked first to the door to make sure they would not be overheard as Lord Sutterfield entered the carriage and then muttered, “Very astute, Charlotte.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, for she did not like being kept in the dark, but her current mood left her feeling more than capable of playing the game. She turned her attention fully to Lord Sutterfield with a winning smile and said, “Lord Sutterfield, how did you enjoy Lady Gilmer’s ball the other evening?”

Charlotte listened as Lord Sutterfield prattled on about the business acquaintances he met with at the ball and how it dismayed him, for it kept him from spending time with her. Charlotte kept peppering him with more questions throughout the carriage ride and more than once she noticed Susan sitting back and hiding a smile or laugh with her hand covering her mouth. 

“Oh yes, if you put me into a game, I surely will play,” Charlotte thought. She may not have been happy with not being informed of Lord Sutterfield’s accompaniment this evening, but she was never one to back down from a challenge.

They arrived at the Opera House and Lord Sutterfield jumped quickly from the carriage to assist the ladies. Before she put her gloved hand into Lord Sutterfield’s, Charlotte looked back at Susan with a face that she felt conveyed her thoughts, a face that said she was determined.

Though, as they made their way to Susan’s box, Charlotte began to feel a bit guilty for her part in this plan. She did not believe that Lord Sutterfield was a willing participant in this scenario and that he was completely blind to what was at play. He had no idea that her heart lay elsewhere and always shall. She was not entirely sure of how deep his feelings, or at least curiosity, for Charlotte went, but she did not want to get his hopes up either. While she had been fully invested in playing her part in this scheme this evening, as they entered the box, Charlotte was having doubts of just how dedicated she wanted to appear to Lord Sutterfield. 

Lord Sutterfield halted Charlotte before moving to their seats and asked, “Do you know anything of the Opera we will be seeing this evening, Miss Heywood?”

Charlotte removed her hand from Lord Sutterfield’s arm, noticing how he had brought it to his side and did not seem likely to relinquish it. She swallowed before answering, “I know that Rossini’s Otello is based on Shakespeare’s Othello but that this Opera takes place in Venice. From my understanding, it is a little less dramatic than Othello, but Otello still believes his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful. As a result, he kills her and he goes mad afterwards, for he discovered that the report of the infidelity was not true. It all sounds quite dramatic and as it is also my first opera, I am quite looking forward to this evening.”

Lord Sutterfield began walking to their seats, with Charlotte following him, and asked, “Can you imagine being so run by your emotions? To think of another’s infidelity driving you to such blind rage and murder and then discovering their innocence and your guilt leading to complete insanity over what you have done? Do you think that was love Miss Heywood or do you think Otello to truly just be mad?” Lord Sutterfield had stopped in front of the row of seats and waited for Charlotte’s response.

Charlotte considered the question for a moment, thinking of herself, putting herself into the role of Otello and of course imagining Sidney as her husband, holding the role of Desdemona. She closed her eyes briefly, imagining the hurt and pain, but also thinking she wouldn’t believe Sidney to be capable of such a thing and needing to hear confirmation from him before truly believing anything of the sort. It was with this thought that Charlotte looked up at Lord Sutterfield, smiled, and said, “I believe love can make people behave in ways they never imagined, do things they would never before consider, but that true love comes with trust. Therefore, I believe Otello may have loved Desdemona, but to go to such extremes, I believe Otello must have been a little mad all along.”

Lord Sutterfield smiled, nodded, and said, “Miss Heywood I am inclined to believe you, I can surely see how love can make one act in ways they never have before.” He looked down and laughed before looking back up and returning his gaze to Charlotte. Charlotte became a bit flustered at his speech and the way he was looking at her and she looked to the stage to break eye contact with Lord Sutterfield. Before he turned for them to take their seats, Lord Sutterfield spoke in a low tone, “May I add once again how thrilled I am to be attending with you this evening Miss Heywood? I look forward to further commentary from you and I am also quite pleased that I should be seated next to one of the most beautiful women in attendance.” Lord Sutterfield leaned down and kissed Charlotte on the cheek, causing Charlotte to gasp and take a step back. Once again she looked in the direction of the stage for she did not wish to make eye contact, however, this time, her eyes caught sight of something else before reaching the stage. She looked directly across the opera house to a box directly across from their own, where she met the cool stare of normally warm brown eyes. Charlotte met Sidney’s stare with one of surprise followed by embarrassment and guilt as she took her seat next to Lord Sutterfield, for she could see the set of Sidney’s jaw and how it twitched, how his eyes had narrowed, and how his whole demeanor conveyed what he would like to do to Lord Sutterfield. Charlotte thought of how Sidney would not be able to harm her if he were Otello in the scenario, but believing in this moment that Sidney would have no trouble bringing harm to anyone whom he believed to have ever laid a hand on Charlotte. That much was clear from the face that focused not at Charlotte, but at Lord Sutterfield.

  
  


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Sidney told himself to calm down as he forced his hands to lay flat on his thighs. He remembered the words of Lady Gilmer and imagined her there and the stern look she would most likely be giving, especially if she could read his thoughts. For at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to walk the halls, make his way to the box across the way, land a few good punches before hurtling Lord Sutterfield over the balcony. He took a deep breath instead and Eliza did not fail to notice as she tried to take hold of Sidney’s hand on his lap. He quickly pulled his hand away and then reminded himself also how he was to be more caring and attentive to Eliza. He peered next to him and gave her a small smile, hopefully reassuring her and lessening the sting of pulling his hand away. Soon after, Lord and Lady Babington arrived, for it was their box that Mrs. Campion and Sidney occupied and their arrival served as a welcome distraction for Sidney and his thoughts. It wasn’t long after that the curtains opened and the show began.

Sidney tried to concentrate on the performance and did his best not to look to Lady Susan’s box too often, but his gaze landed on Charlotte more often than he even realized. At some point Eliza had placed her hand on his knee and he did his best not to flinch away from her touch. The act brought his thoughts to Charlotte and he looked over to her to see Lord Sutterfield whispering in her ear and Charlotte smiled and to his dismay, even laughed a little at what he had said. Sidney forced himself to look at Eliza, who returned his gaze and smiled. Sidney looked back to the stage because he was hit with an overwhelming feeling of how he longed for it to be Charlotte to whom he was looking and another surge of jealousy that Lord Sutterfield got to be the one whispering to her and making her laugh. He took a deep breath thinking of the future he would have with Charlotte if all that had been planned went accordingly. He focused on Otello, going mad with guilt over his jealous actions.

  
  


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Lord Sutterfield’s attention was held solely by watching Charlotte enjoy the performance. He loved seeing it through her eyes and watching her facial expressions change throughout. At one point, he leaned over and whispered in Charlotte’s ear, “I wager he’s the jealous type.” Charlotte laughed and he loved the sound. He sat back again and continued to look at her as she watched the performance but after a short time he had that prickling feeling of being watched and glanced around, finding Sidney Parker staring at him, his eyes boring into him and then noticed how Parker’s glance moved from himself to Charlotte and how his expression changed, his features becoming softer and even noticed a slight wistful smile appearing on his face before he turned away. Lord Sutterfield thought back to the dance Parker and Charlotte had shared at Lady Gilmer’s ball. He was broken of this train of thought when he noticed Charlotte look across to Sidney. He noticed a smile appear on her face and he looked back and forth between the two and Sidney eventually met Charlotte’s gaze and returned her smile with one of his own. Lord Sutterfield recalled noticing an undeniable connection the night of the ball, but now he was struck with the realization that the two were most definitely in love. The night of the ball, he knew there was tension between Mrs. Campion and Parker, but was not entirely sure Charlotte was the cause. Lord Sutterfield unconsciously moved away from Charlotte now and then looked to Mrs. Campion, who seemed bored and seemed to be stifling a yawn and he thought to himself, “She can not possibly be blind to this connection, she already endured a loveless marriage, does she not realize that she may be entering a second one?” He looked over at Parker one more time and then Charlotte and he could not deny he felt disappointment. He had to admit that he was beginning to care quite a lot about Charlotte and he found himself thinking of her more often than he cared to admit in the last few days. He had not felt that way about a woman for quite some time; he knew Charlotte was unique and she intrigued him. He now felt intrigued to discover the story behind the scene playing out before him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter out earlier, but again, I can edit a million times and each time change something. Oh, and I already did my lesson plans, don't worry!
> 
> Otello was an opera by Rossini, but it premiered in Naples, Italy in 1816, so I took some liberties with it being in London. It was in fact based on Shakespeare's Othello.
> 
> Thank you for reading and those comments and insights!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had some writing inspiration during the week and stayed up late writing a few nights, so a new chapter.
> 
> The night at the opera continues...

**Chapter 19**

  
  


The end of the first act arrived quickly and Charlotte was eager to stretch her legs. She stood with the intention of moving to the anteroom and just as she was about to inform Lord Sutterfield of her plans, he stood also, not meeting her eye, and held his arm out in a gesture telling her to go ahead. Charlotte was looking at him and noticed for the first time a more grave expression on his face. In their short acquaintance, Charlotte had never seen him wear such a serious expression. She was wondering if he did not enjoy the first act and decided to ask, “What did you think of the first act, Lord Sutterfield?”

“I enjoyed it, Miss Heywood,” he muttered in a clipped tone. Charlotte looked back at him as she walked ahead of him, curious as to why he seemed to be upset, for the tone he used to respond was clearly one in which he struggled to maintain even an ounce of civility. Charlotte slowed her steps when she came upon Susan and Lord Sutterfield brushed past her saying, “If you’ll excuse me,” before he swiftly disappeared. Susan looked at Charlotte, one eyebrow piqued, and asked, “Did I miss something?”

Charlotte looked to the area that Lord Sutterfield had just occupied and responded in a state of confusion, “I have no idea what has happened. Lord Sutterfield seemed to be enjoying the show but as soon as the act ended, he seemed distant and became quite brusque. I truly have no idea for his change in demeanor.”

Charlotte’s feeling of guilt rose to the forefront of her mind once again, wondering if Lord Sutterfield had discovered something during that first act, and Charlotte became even more weary of this plan.

  
  


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Lord Sutterfield found himself walking briskly with no destination in mind. He simply just had to get away from people, away from inquiring eyes and any conversation. His mind was filled with thoughts, thoughts he was not willing to fully acknowledge. He was cursing himself for thinking so much of Miss Charlotte Heywood these past few days. He knew very little of her, he told himself, and yet he had wondered when he would see her again, when he could hear her laugh again so often these past few days. “You fool,” he spat. He would not say he was in love; he barely knew her, but he was intrigued by her. He had met so many women, some practically thrown at him by eager mothers, and they were all alike,... insipid, barely being able to carry a conversation because they were told to be amenable. Charlotte, however,... Charlotte was different. She had opinions and voiced them. She did not simply ask what he thought of a subject and then quickly agree with whatever response he may have given. Quite simply, she had a mind of her own and he admired that.

Lord Sutterfield had found himself in a deserted hallway and had begun to pace in the secluded area. He knew he had observed a connection between Sidney Parker and Miss Heywood the night of the ball but he had foolishly thought it was merely a friendly one, even as he teased Eliza Campion about the closeness and familiarity he had observed during the dance. He then thought to himself, “And what is she thinking, she surely can not be oblivious to their affection for one another, that must have been why she was so upset that evening.” Suddenly, as if his thoughts manifested into her sudden appearance, none other than Eliza Campion appeared, seemingly distracted, as she realized his presence only when she nearly stood directly in front of him, quite close to colliding with him.

“Oh, Lord Sutterfield, excuse me, I had not seen you there.”

Unfortunately, Mrs. Campion had caught him at this vulnerable moment and he spat out, “And you’re a fool, too!”

She was taken aback, taking several steps back with a stricken look on her face and Lord Sutterfield almost pitied her in this moment as she looked lost, bewildered, and perhaps even sad. Though, he was not going to offer an apology for his outburst, for he was in the midst of his turmoil, of which she played a supporting role, and she had interrupted him in his state of bewilderment. 

She composed herself and Lord Sutterfield noticed how it seemed to take a great effort on her part to do so. She squared her shoulders, took a big gulp as if she was trying to swallow any emotion she may have been feeling, and looked at him, and said, “Well Lord Sutterfield, I seem to have interrupted your wallowing, I’ll get out of your way. You’ll probably want to be returning to your little Miss Heywood soon anyways.” He noticed how she tried to sound cruel and biting but the delivery fell short, an underlying wavering to her voice giving away that she may have been struggling herself.

Lord Sutterfield scowled at her and decided once again not to take pity on her. “What is it you have against Miss Heywood, exactly? Is it truly only for the reason that your fiance would clearly much rather be here with her than you, are you jealous? Or did she also steal a dress from under you? Wear a bonnet that you had your eye on? No, what I find myself most curious about is why on earth are you set on marrying a man who loves another?”

Mrs. Campion looked shocked for only a moment before an angry expression, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed, took over her face. She opened her mouth to speak but apparently no words would suffice for she reached out and slapped Lord Sutterfield across the face.

  
  


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At the end of the first act, Sidney glanced over at Charlotte and noticed her standing and if he was not mistaken, also discerned a distance between Lord Sutterfield and Charlotte. He was not at all displeased with that. Sidney immediately thought of meeting her somewhere, he needed the reassurance her presence gave him, her smile, her laugh. He wanted to seek her out just as he did at the Regatta with the boat ride, longing for how her proximity allowed him to feel tethered to something true and real. However, he then recalled Lady Gilmer’s demand of no more private meetings and he had to admit, she had a point. Their meetings recently would not be conducive to the overall success of the rouse to break him free of his engagement. Lady Gilmer was rather shrewd. Though, he did need to move about, so he stood and Mrs. Campion stood also, slipping her hand through his arm, despite his attempt at keeping it tightly pressed to his side. She snaked her way through, nonetheless. “I am parched Sidney, perhaps we can get some refreshment.” Sidney merely nodded and led the way.

Lord and Lady Babington were getting drinks also and they greeted one another. Lady Babington then asked, “Mrs. Campion, how are you enjoying the performance this evening?”

“I find it to be a little dull, truthfully.”

Lady Babington took a sip of her drink before responding, “Surely, you must find it rather far-fetched for a husband to go mad with jealousy when a wife strays. That was not your personal experience, was it?”

Sidney nearly spit out his drink, Babington looked over to his wife in utter shock and Eliza herself was so surprised she had to grasp more tightly to Sidney for balance. Esther wore a smirk that conveyed no regret of what she had said.

It took some time for Eliza to compose herself and the remaining company were still stunned into silence. Finally, Eliza managed to find her voice and uttered, “Lady Babington, I am sure I do not know what you speak of. My marriage may not have been a great love match, but we did care for one another and admired one another and neither of us strayed.”

“Whatever you say, Mrs. Campion. You would know best. Though, I am curious, do you expect Sidney to act more jealous and outraged than your first husband when you repeat this course of action in your second loveless marriage?”

Sidney truly could not believe Esther had asked that question. He barely even registered Babington apologizing for his wife and dragging her away while Esther wore a smile on her face and Babington, feigning outrage while also trying to hide his smile and if Sidney wasn’t mistaken, a look of pride for his wife. Sidney looked next to him at Eliza and found that she was speechless and then he noticed her features change, as quickly as a snap of the fingers.

“Sidney, I will not tolerate this,” she seethed. “I will not be spoken to like that and we will never see your friends again if this is to continue. How dare she say such a thing, how dare she…”

“Say the truth?” Sidney said in a stern, but low whisper. “Mrs. Campion, I have told you that I do not love you. I imagine our marriage would not be a very happy one. I’ll admit the question was out of line, but I can’t say that I would blame you if you began to seek your pleasure elsewhere. I daresay, I may even welcome it.”

Eliza narrowed her eyes at him, “You only say that because you want a dalliance with Miss Heywood, which I must say is probably more fitting for her station, but what a smudge on her reputation, everyone would know and call her a…” 

“I would never do that to Miss Heywood, never.” Sidney cut her off with a low and angry tone that made Eliza flinch slightly. “It is not fitting for such a remarkable woman, a woman with more elegance and character than you will ever have.” Mrs. Campion stared at Sidney for a few moments and then forcefully removed her hand from his arm and stalked off. Sidney knew he should follow, knew that he was failing miserably, but he could not muster the energy to care at the moment. To be fair, he told himself, it was truly Lady Babington who had set flame to the plan this evening, he surely could not shoulder all the blame.

  
  
  


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Eliza was furious and then became even more angry when she noticed that Sidney did not even bother to follow her. She was losing the grip on things. She thought for sure that Sidney would be showing some affection towards her at this point. She felt the life she had imagined for ten years slipping away and the worst part was that she was beginning to question if she even wanted it any more. Though, she had come so far, had spun so many lies, told so many tales of their love, that she did not see a way out that did not end in complete and utter humiliation and shame for herself. Her mind was full of all of these thoughts that she did not realize where she was walking and did not notice anyone else present until she nearly collided with a solid person. When she looked up, she was face to face with Lord Sutterfield and she seemed to have caught him in a terrible mood as well as he called her a fool. Eliza tried to muster up some courage and biting remarks, but she felt she had lost all control of the situation and when Lord Sutterfield continued his barrage of hurtful comments and the moment someone else this evening had pointed out that she would be in another loveless marriage, something in Eliza snapped. She had had enough and she could no longer tolerate it. Her arm raised of its own volition, and her hand connected sharply with his right cheek before she even knew what she was doing. She screamed, “I’ve had enough!” She did not wait for a response, did not even consider showing any remorse for her actions, and she continued walking briskly ahead of her, blind with rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not let Lady Gilmer have all the fun, Esther had to get in there, also!
> 
> How will the plan continue now?...
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Opera comes to a close in this chapter.
> 
> Also, are you ready to learn Lord Sutterfield's first name?

**Chapter 20**

  
  


Lord Sutterfield could not believe the way this evening was turning out. He pressed his hand to his stinging cheek and thought how he had been so hopeful earlier this evening, he sighed now, feeling utterly defeated. He decided it was time to get more information for he felt a fool and that was not a role he played well nor cared for. He set off in the direction he came with a single person in mind, determined to get to the bottom of what was going on.

He stood in front of Lady Susan, relieved to see that Charlotte had returned to her seat and that he could speak to Susan privately. He must have had a fairly serious expression on his face, for Lady Susan did not even bother with niceties or a greeting, which prompted him to be the first to speak, which had been his goal all along.

“I need to know what’s going on. You seemed encouraging of me deepening my connection to Miss Heywood, but I believe her heart to belong to someone else, so I am a bit curious as to why you would push me down this path if you knew this.” He found himself taking deep breaths, nearly huffing in anger.

Susan took some time to respond, whether she was gathering her thoughts, or formulating a way to further deceive him, Lord Sutterfield was not sure. However, Susan had always been quite honest and direct with him so he had no reason to believe she would be anything but at this time. She offered him a smile and said, “I must confess, I was surprised by the attachment you seemed to be forming with Miss Heywood, it is very unlike you, Gabriel. I should have known that Miss Heywood is unlike most women that you meet, though.” She took hold of his hand and continued, “It is true that Miss Heywood’s heart belongs to another and I am gathering that you know to whom it belongs as you seem to have taken notice. I must also confess that there is a plan to reunite the two. I never meant for you to fall prey to this plan, to play the fool. If you feel that way, I sincerely apologize.” Susan directed him a little closer and added, “Lady Gilmer spearheaded this portion of the plan, she thought you would make a wonderful distraction, allowing Mrs. Campion to see that Miss Heywood would have another suitor and that she may not be as big a threat to her engagement as she once thought, perhaps saving Charlotte from Mrs. Campion’s focus, hatred, and wicked tongue.”

Lord Sutterfield hung his head, took a deep breath and looked back up to Susan. “I believe that plan may not be working. Mrs. Campion was just at the receiving end of an angry tirade from me which resulted in me being at the receiving end of her slap.” He grimaced, recalling the exchange and surprisingly, he found himself feeling a little guilty for his part in potentially dismantling this plan he was not aware of.

Susan gasped, put her hand over her mouth and replied, “Oh, I am so sorry. It sounds as if this plan is getting away from us. This night does not seem to be going well.”

At the very moment Susan had concluded speaking, she noticed Lady Gilmer appear behind Lord Sutterfield and approach them.

“Ah, Susan, Lord Sutterfield, how lovely to see you. I know I am dreadfully late. I was not planning to attend, for you know I avoid most gatherings and events, but I do believe I heard the performance this evening was not one to be missed,” Lady Gilmer said with a sly smile on her face as she went directly to her seat. 

“You have no idea, Lady Gilmer,” Susan responded as she began to follow her. Lady Gilmer’s one eyebrow shot up in curiosity. Lord Sutterfield found himself quite angry at Lady Gilmer, he stayed rooted to his spot but could overhear Susan tell Lady Gilmer what he had just informed her and while Susan spoke, his eyes drifted towards Miss Heywood. He noticed how she stared at the stage and it allowed him a vantage point of her profile. He could see that she wore a solemn face, a ruminative look, and he found he could not be angry with her. Again, he found himself mystified by the fact that he felt as if he knew her better than he possibly could at this stage in their acquaintance. From what he knew of Miss Heywood, he felt certain that she would never purposefully be cruel to anyone and if he were being honest with himself, what had she offered him but kindness and politeness? She had not been showing any inclination that she fancied him in any other way than a friend. With a deep breath and a new resolution to offer friendship and kindness to her in return, he solemnly made his way back to his seat for the second act, next to the person he believed incapable of any malice. 

  
  


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Lady Gilmer did not know exactly what words had been exchanged between Lord Sutterfield and Mrs. Campion for Susan did not get the entire story, but Lady Gilmer was quite disappointed she did not get to witness the theatrics. Yet, she was quite certain that the plan seemed to have derailed a bit this evening. However, she did not think it was completely tattered. In fact, she found herself smiling at these new developments. She did not think all was lost on the Lord Sutterfield front, for as she sat thinking, she observed Lord Sutterfield, seated next to Charlotte. By his posture, leaning in closely, his profile showing a tentative smile on his face directed at Charlotte, Lady Gilmer believed Lord Sutterfield cared for Miss Heywood and would like to see her happy, no matter what, or with whom. Susan was right, this Lord Sutterfield did seem to be a good fellow. Some rumors of him seem to be wholly unfitting, she thought. Yes, she knew that he would be willing to be an ally in this venture. She smiled, looking at a man who stared at a woman of whom he was completely in awe. She knew the look well for it was a look she used to see directed at her by her husband.

  
  
  


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Sidney sat and his legs shook in agitation and nervousness, he laid his palms flat on his thighs, trying to still them. Charlotte was not meeting his gaze and Mrs. Campion had not returned and the second act was about to begin. Babbers and Esther had left, Babbers saying that Esther truly did not feel well and was quite exhausted. 

Before leaving, Babington expressed his concern of what Esther’s words may have done. “Parker, I really don’t know what got into Esther. She says things like that to me all the time, but she knows what we are attempting here,” Babington explained. “I can’t say it wasn’t fun, though, but I hope it doesn’t hurt our chance of success.”

Sidney clapped his friend on the back, “Don’t worry Babbers, I didn’t exactly help myself in this case and I can’t say it wasn’t great entertainment and, in fact, a great question.” He looked over at Esther who was bidding farewell to another friend in attendance and smiled. “Tell her not to worry and that I hope she receives some much needed rest. Though, since Mrs. Campion is not back yet, please be on your guard as you take your leave.” Babington laughed and said, “Will do. I hope the rest of your evening is not completely horrendous.” He took his leave, offering his arm to his wife as Esther turned and waved at Sidney, a look of apology on her face. Sidney smiled and waved in return.

Sidney continued to wait for Eliza’s return, now wondering if she would reappear or if she had taken her leave as the second act had begun and there was no sign of her. He turned around when he heard approaching footsteps and Mrs. Campion walked angrily towards him. She took her seat and didn’t say a word and Sidney didn’t dare speak either. They watched the second act in complete silence.

At the conclusion of the second act, Eliza turned to Sidney and said, “I do not want to cause a scene by leaving early, but we will leave the moment the performance ends. I do not wish to discuss it, I have had enough for one evening, please, at least oblige me in this wish.” Sidney nodded in agreement, relieved that Mrs. Campion’s anger seemed to have prompted a quiet, simmering anger at the moment. He could deal with that. The carriage ride may be something he would dread, but at the moment, he would take a quiet Eliza.

  
  


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As Charlotte sat alone during the intermission, she felt rather sick with guilt for she was certain that Lord Sutterfield’s sudden turn to a dismissive attitude had to do with him observing some of the looks she had shared with Sidney. This guilt kept her from glancing across the way during intermission. Even when she was certain she could feel Sidney’s gaze on her, she did not glance in that direction. She did not feel guilty for the looks she and Sidney had shared, but she did feel quite awful thinking she may have given Lord Sutterfield the wrong impression. Knowing that others had planned for him to play a part in this plan, without her knowledge or consent, also made her feel terrible. The night of Lady Gilmer’s ball, she did not quite know what to make of Lord Sutterfield, but what she had learned of him since that evening was that he seemed to be a decent enough gentleman, who did not deserve to be duped. She had just decided to divulge her feelings for Sidney and that a plan was set in motion to reunite them, when Lord Sutterfield returned to his seat next to her. Charlotte was relieved to notice that Lord Sutterfield appeared to have a more pleasant demeanor, despite a rather red mark on his right cheek. She opened her mouth to come clean, and also possibly ask about his cheek, but the curtains opened and the performance resumed. Before she turned her attention completely to the stage, Lord Sutterfield leaned closer, a shy smile on his face, and said, “You have an ally in me, Miss Heywood.” Charlotte was surprised, but then offered a kind smile in return as she whispered, “Thank you.” 

Charlotte knew then that Lord Sutterfield had gathered much this evening, whether by observation or someone else informing him of what was at play before she had the chance, either way she was sure that what Lord Sutterfield said was true. She felt she had a friend in this endeavor, a true ally. They spent the second intermission discussing Otello in an amiable fashion and both watched the final act in good spirits. Charlotte watched the rest of Otello with the feeling of contentment and focused solely on the man going mad with guilt from his jealous rage. She was so enthralled by the last act that she did not glance to the box opposite once. Therefore, she was completely unaware that if she had, she would have been met with a determined stare, one brimming with anger and perhaps even rage, of one Mrs. Eliza Campion. Some might even have said that it would appear that Otello wasn’t the only one to be deranged that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plan seems to have gone completely off the rails. Blame my life experience of plans nearly always going awry, or 2020, both are probably at fault for me writing a plan that unravels.
> 
> However, just because a plan doesn't always go as you had hoped, sometimes another plan falls into place...


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night at the Opera is over and some slight repercussions begin to form...
> 
> Also, who's ready for some more Crowe? I missed him.

**Chapter 21**

  
  


Sidney kept his word to Mrs. Campion, they left nearly as soon as the last note of the Opera was sung. Eliza was still not talking, even halfway through the carriage ride to her home. Sidney remained looking out the window nearest to him on his side of the carriage, as Eliza did the same across from him. At first, Sidney welcomed the silence, a respite from her normal post event ridicule of gowns and tales of the latest gossip he did not care to hear. Though now he found her silence rather unsettling. He could not help but think that a quiet Eliza was a conniving Eliza. He tried to think of topics he felt would be safe to discuss but he was drawing a blank. He was also hesitant to disturb the silence fearing that it would unleash Eliza’s anger and lead to her spewing malicious and cruel words, so Sidney remained quiet, silently urging the carriage to move faster so that he could be rid of her company.

When the carriage finally pulled up outside of her home, Sidney moved to exit the carriage to assist Mrs. Campion, but she brushed past him and nearly slammed the carriage door in his face. Before turning around though, with her hand still on the door, she smiled menacingly, and said “Good night, Sidney. I know we will be seeing each other again soon because with moving the wedding date up, we will need to plan many things. I expect you to call on me after breakfast tomorrow.”

Sidney sat with his mouth open and he was about to argue his point, but she had walked away, after quickly tapping the carriage in a signal to drive. A stunned Sidney was thrown back into the seat at the surprise of the movement of the carriage as well as the threat Mrs. Campion had just laid at his feet. He could not think of a better word than threat to describe what she had just delivered.

  
  


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Eliza walked into her home and called out for Mrs. Collins, despite the late hour and the fact that Mrs. Collins expressly asked before Mrs. Campion left if she would be needed upon her return. Mrs. Campion had ensured her that she would not be needed. Though, here it was past midnight and Mrs. Collins was awoken by the shrieking of Mrs. Eliza Campion. She stumbled out of bed, scrounging for her robe and scurrying to find Mrs. Campion. Mrs. Collins followed first the screams of her name and then found the faint light coming from the drawing room.

“Mrs. Campion,” she said drowsily from the doorway with hooded eyelids heavy with sleep.

“Oh good, finally, there you are. We have work to do. Firstly, all the wedding plans will need to be moved up to accommodate a wedding in two weeks time. Mr. Parker will be visiting in the morning so that we may discuss things, but some things will need to be handled even before he gives his approval. I trust you will be able to secure the church, a special license if required, as we were planning a wedding a few months from now. However, that long of a wait will just not work. Do you hear me, Mrs. Collins? You seem as if you are not listening to me.”

Mrs. Collins looked at Mrs. Campion in utter disbelief as she continued to spew a list of tasks that needed to be completed. “Mrs. Campion, perhaps you could allow me to write some of these tasks down so that I may keep a list of the changes.”

Mrs. Campion rolled her eyes and gestured towards the parchment and ink on the desk and said in disgust, “If you must.” Mrs. Collins tried to keep up with the speed in which Eliza continued to list demands and tasks and then finally realized Mrs. Campion was muttering to herself rather than continuing with what needs to be done. Mrs. Collins glanced back at what she had just scrawled on the paper and noticed that it read, “She will not win, she won’t get what I deserve.” Mrs. Collins gasped slightly and looked at Mrs. Campion. She was pacing furiously and Mrs. Collins noticed a crazed look in her eyes. She was muttering in a lower tone now, while biting her thumbnail, which is something she never noticed the mistress of the house doing before in all her years with her. She tried to listen carefully and could catch only certain snippets. “... the gall of that man… and Lady Babington, I should ask around, see what can be dug up…” She stopped and stared into the fire and Mrs. Collins was about to ask if she was alright when the pacing and muttering began once again. “I will marry him… don’t care if he loves little....Now, what rumors… Think of Lady Susan and Lady Gilmer though… Damn it!” She stopped and turned fiercely, looking directly at Mrs. Collins. “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have work to do?”

“It’s past one o’clock in the morning, Mrs. Campion, there is not much I can do at this hour.”

Eliza put her hands on her hips, huffed in frustration and looked up at the ceiling before meeting Mrs. Collins’ face once again. “Surely, there is something that can be done now to alleviate all the tasks that will need to be completed tomorrow?” 

“Yes, Mrs. Campion, I will just gather my notes and leave you to see to what can be done.” Eliza resumed her pacing, however, this time she was silent. Mrs. Collins was gathering the lists she had made and saw the letter to Mrs. Campion, supposedly from Mr. Sidney Parker but Mrs. Collins had surmised was a forgery. She paused, staring at the letter and she was frozen in thought. From Mrs. Campion’s nearly incoherent mumbling and this forged letter, Mrs. Collins was certain that Mr. Parker had no wish to marry Mrs. Campion and that there was someone else he loved. This letter confirmed that something was afoot. She looked up at Mrs. Campion, pacing angrily and Eliza met her gaze and said menacingly, “Do you have what you need yet? Whatever is taking you so long? I want to be left in peace, leave!” 

Mrs. Campion screamed the last demand, startling Mrs. Collins, causing her to jump and drop her lists. Eliza made an aggravated noise and Mrs. Collins picked up the lists quickly and scrambled to the door and left without saying another word. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, took a deep breath and thought, “I can understand why Mr. Parker would not wish to marry her, but what is to be done?...”

  
  


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Sidney arrived home after the Opera but he could not even begin to think of sleeping. Eliza was moving the wedding up and that meant that the plan would need to move more quickly along as well. He didn’t see the success of a shorter timeline as a likelihood as it had suffered some great setbacks this evening. He suddenly felt too confined in Bedford Place, so he gathered his hat and coat and went outside, seeking fresh air and he began to walk aimlessly. He needed to clear his head. It wasn’t long before he once again made note of his surroundings and noticed he was near the club he frequented with Babington and Crowe. Sidney silently hoped he could count on one of the two friends to be their reliable self and he entered, hoping to see Crowe inside. Sidney looked around and sure enough, when some of the smoke cleared, he noticed Crowe in the back at a table, currently sitting alone. Sidney approached hastily.

“Parker, I did not expect to see you… Good God, man, why do you look as if you are to be sick?” Crowe scrunched his face in disgust.

“I may very well be sick. Mrs. Campion just informed me she is moving the wedding date up. I imagine the date will be very soon.”

Crowe looked as if he may be sick also. He pushed his drink over and said, “You need this more than me. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Lady Gilmer had this plan but I don’t see how it will work in a shorter time frame.”

“Oh, I heard about this plan, but notice how I was not invited to old Lady G’s, I was not given a part in this plan. Even if it were just the part of the jester, or, no title needed, just someone to provide some much needed humor in this cast of players, but alas, nothing.”

“I had no part in the planning of this scheme, so don’t blame me.”

“I know, Parker. Lady G isn’t too fond of me. You knock over one candle while drunk at a ball and they never let you forget about it. It wasn’t even at Lady Gilmer’s home, merely Lady Fitch’s.”

“Crowe, didn’t you set the curtains on fire?”

With a roll of his eyes, Crowe responded, “Yes, yes, yes, and new ones had to be ordered for the entire room because I ruined a set. If you ask me, I did Lady Fitch a favor. Those curtains were hideous. We are getting off course, though, Parker. Is there anything I can do to help in this scheme?”

Sidney brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know, Crowe. Lady Gilmer and Babbers are to be raising funds from wealthy acquaintances, Charlotte apparently is supposed to make it appear as if she is being pursued by Lord Sutterfield, and I am to be keeping Mrs. Campion happy. Of which I am failing miserably. Esther asked Mrs. Campion this evening if she expected me to be angry with jealousy when she strays in our marriage as she did in her first loveless marriage.”

Crowe looked over at Sidney with a look of slight shock, but more so with a look of pride. “No?” He laughed and shook his head.” I knew I was going to like Esther. Ok, I didn’t always know that, but she did always have her wit and sharp tongue. What did Mrs. Devil say?”

“She was speechless. Babbers led Esther away and Mrs. Campion threatened me with never seeing my friends again if they continued to speak to her like that. It was not a pleasant night at the Opera. Not to mention that Lord Sutterfield seems to be playing his part well. I saw him kiss Charlotte on the cheek.”

“Not wasting any time then, is he? Does he know of the plan?”

“Not that I am aware of. Lady Gilmer thought he could be kept in the dark for a bit, which only concerns me more because it means that he truly does have feelings for Miss Heywood.”

Crowe looked at his friend for a moment before asking, “So?”

Sidney looked outraged, “What do you mean, ‘so?’”

“Parker, she loves you. It’s clear to anyone with eyes. Lord Sutterfield doesn’t stand a chance. Yes, he’s rich, tall, handsome, titled, charming,...”

Sidney lightly pounded his fist on the table and seethed, “I get it, Crowe. Why must you always remind me of all of Lord Sutterfield’s  _ many _ attributes?”

“Calm down, Parker. Lord Sutterfield is not you. Miss Heywood loves you. If there is a gathering that serves as the next setting for this plan, make sure that I am there and I will make it clear Lord Sutterfield knows where he stands. At least take comfort in the fact that I don’t take Lord Sutterfield as too much of a rake, maybe slightly, but…”

“Ok, I’m leaving. I thought you’d make me feel better, Crowe, but you’re having quite the opposite effect.” Sidney began to stand but paused when Crowe had one last bit of parting wisdom.

“Parker, I won’t let this wedding happen. You’ve got much more influential people working with you who won’t let this wedding happen. Nobody is giving up. Never underestimate the power of people who want to see their friends happy. And to see a miserable woman fall down a peg or two. That’s mainly why I offer my help, she’s truly terrible.”

Sidney laughed, raised his drink in the air to Crowe before drinking it in one gulp, placing the glass on the table. “Thank you, Crowe. Good night.”

“I plan on having one, Parker,” Crowe said as he waved for another drink.

  
  


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Charlotte and Susan were eating a later breakfast the morning after the Opera and Charlotte was still drowsy after a restless night of sleep. Charlotte had noticed how quickly Sidney and Mrs. Campion had left last evening and Charlotte had also noticed a cutting glare from Mrs. Campion before they left. Clearly, Lord Sutterfield escorting her that evening did not ease Mrs. Campion’s mind. Charlotte could not forget the face of Mrs. Campion, her narrowed eyes, her tight-lipped smirk that seemed to speak of a promise, of trouble yet to come. Charlotte saw it each time she closed her eyes as she layed in bed, resulting in her poor night’s sleep. Her lack of sleep resulted in her silence at breakfast as she did not feel up to conversation. Susan herself had been quiet the first minutes until she cleared her throat, causing Charlotte to look up from her food. 

“Charlotte, I feel it necessary to make you aware of some developments that occurred last night.”

“Developments?” Charlotte’s lack of sleep made her less than enthused to discuss games and schemes.

“Lord Sutterfield knows of your attachment to Mr. Sidney Parker but I believe him willing to assist in the plan. He is proving to be a true gentleman. Though, he also had a run-in with Mrs. Campion last night. Apparently she was quite upset and he was also in a state and he said some remarks to her, I am not sure what exactly, but it resulted in Mrs. Campion slapping him.”

“Oh my, Susan. That explains his red cheek. Why was he upset?”

“I think not informing him of our plan, and perhaps of your attachment to Sidney Parker, was not the best idea. I think he felt a bit foolish that he was not aware.”

Charlotte put her face in her hands in frustration and then lifted her head to look at Susan “Didn’t I say I was uncomfortable with this? I felt guilty all of last evening for giving Lord Sutterfield the wrong impression. He did say he would be an ally, so I gathered that he had been made aware of some aspects. Now this exchange between Lord Sutterfield and Mrs. Campion, I wonder, would that explain Mrs. Campion’s deadly glare towards me at the end of the evening? Oh Susan, I don't think this is going well at all, maybe we should just forget this plan.” 

Susan reached for Charlotte’s hand. “My dear, things may be different than what we originally planned, we may need a few tweaks, but the goal is still the same and the support you have has only grown by one member. Not much has changed. Take heart.” Susan squeezed Charlotte’s hand and Charlotte mustered up a half-hearted smile. Little did Lady Susan know that much was about to change.

Meanwhile, while Charlotte and Lady Susan were eating a late breakfast, across town, Sidney Parker stood in front of a door dreading the news that awaited him, for he presumed he was about to learn the new date for his and Mrs. Campion’s wedding. He took a deep breath and knocked. When the door was opened, his mouth dropped open in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not edit this as much as I normally edit a chapter, but wanted to share it. Sorry for any typos.
> 
> I'm also a tad angry with myself for including in this chapter the cliffhanger with which I wanted to end the previous chapter. Downside of posting before I have the next chapter completed most times.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the return of Crowe and I am excited for the next chapter as well... What did Sidney discover in Mrs. Campion's home?


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit rushed, just a short chapter. I've had little time to write but did not wish to leave you in suspense for much longer. I apologize for any typos and the rushed writing.

**Chapter 22**

  
  


There was a flurry of people scurrying about, nervous chatter among them. Somewhere further down the hall, Sidney heard screaming. He wanted to turn around and run, but the footman led Sidney to the drawing room. Sidney adjusted his cravat as he was brought closer and closer to the sound of Eliza’s screams. The footman stopped at the doors and gave Sidney an apologetic look and also seemed to convey a wish of luck. Sidney gulped, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. The door was opened and Sidney was met with a sight he had never seen before, a disheveled Mrs. Campion.

She stood in the middle of the room in the gown she wore last night, her hair falling from its perfect placement of the previous evening, and she had dark circles under her eyes. When she noticed Sidney, she turned to him, put a smile on her face and said in a high-pitched voice, “Sidney, good you're here.” She laughed nervously and brought her hands to her hair trying to put pieces back into place. “Have a seat, we have much to discuss. The wedding is to be in two weeks, well, we are waiting to hear about the special license, but it should all work out, it will all go according to plan, and we will have to change the flowers, we simply can’t have the ones we originally wanted, Sidney, at least that is what I am told. My dress may have a little less detail than I wanted, but all is well, all is going well, it should all run smoothly.” She was rambling and was fidgeting with either her hands or hair.

Finally, Mrs. Campion ceased speaking. Sidney, in a calm tone, asked, “Mrs. Campion, have you slept at all?”

“No, there is too much to be done, Sidney. Our wedding must be absolutely perfect. Perfect. We have waited so long.” She suddenly looked at the doors and screamed, “Mrs. Collins! Mrs. Collins!” Sidney winced at the tone and volume of her voice.

A few moments later Mrs. Collins hesitatingly opened the doors and waited. “There you are. Mrs. Collins have you had any word about the special license?”

“No, Mrs. Campion, it is still quite early and the request was just sent a short time ago.”

“Why the delay, why is there no word yet? Do they not understand the need for urgency? Mrs. Collins, I expect perfection for this wedding and I can not plan it if I am not certain of the date, this is holding me back, you are holding me back.” Her voice was rising throughout and Sidney offered Mrs. Collins an apologetic look before gently saying, “Mrs. Campion, I am sure Mrs. Collins is doing her absolute best to make sure everything is to your liking. Some matters are out of her hands and it seems everyone is working diligently to ensure that everything goes smoothly.” While Sidney spoke, his mind was whirring, having to abruptly change his tactic. He came today with the intention of insisting Mrs. Campion keep the original date for the wedding and that he would not marry her any sooner, to buy some time for things to work out according to plan. However, seeing Eliza in this state, he was scared to say anything of the sort, more for the sake of those who worked for her than himself at this point. 

He moved forward on the settee, inching closer to her and said calmly, “I think you should get some rest, Mrs. Campion. There is not much that can be decided while awaiting word and you will need your energy to plan this wedding, to make sure it is done correctly.”

“Perhaps you’re right, Sidney. I am rather tired. Yes, I think I will go and get some rest.”

Mrs. Collins offered her hand to Mrs. Campion at the door and Eliza shirked away from it, “I don’t need help. I am perfectly capable of walking to my room on my own. Please see Mr. Parker out.”

When she was up the stairs and out of sight long enough that both Sidney and Mrs. Collins felt it safe to believe she was already in her bedroom, they both looked at each other and let out the breath they were both holding.

“Mr. Parker, allow me to show you out.”

“Mrs. Collins, are you alright?” Sidney stood in the doorway wearing a look of concern.

Mrs. Collins took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and then opened them once again, glancing up the stairs before saying in a whisper, “ Mr. Parker, may I be frank with you?”

“Please, Mrs. Collins, I wish you would be.”

“Mr. Parker, I have never seen Mrs. Campion in such a state and I am worried about her, but I believe I may be more worried for you. I apologize if this question is too forward of me to ask, but did you happen to write a letter to Mrs. Campion inviting her to the Opera last night?” Mrs. Collins was looking down, her hands twisted together in tension.

Sidney considered the question and wondered if Mrs. Collins had gathered that the letter was not, in fact, written by himself and wondered how she came to that conclusion. He decided to be honest. “Mrs. Collins, someone else wrote that letter on my behalf.”

Mrs. Collins made a slight smile and replied, “I gathered as much. Do you know who wrote it?”

“I do, Mrs. Collins. It was a friend who is aware of the situation at hand.”

Mrs. Collins squinted, searching Sidney’s face and she seemed to be considering her next words carefully. “Mr. Parker, I do not believe you wish to marry Mrs. Campion and I believe you even wish to marry another, so may I ask, why are you marrying Mrs. Campion?” Her eyes widened in shock, surprised by her own boldness and horrified that she asked it aloud. “Oh, Mr. Parker, please I beg your pardon, I did not mean to ask such a question. I apologize, allow me to show you out so that you may continue your day and escape this mess.”

“Mrs. Collins, please, do not worry.” Sidney paused and walked back into the drawing room, stopping in the middle of the room and turning to face her. “The truth is Mrs. Collins that I do not wish to marry Mrs. Campion but she has offered funds to help my family out of a situation.”

“I know of the fire in Sanditon, I was sorry to hear about it.”

Sidney smiled, “Thank you Mrs. Collins. Mrs. Campion offered her assistance.” He grimaced, still finding it difficult to voice the next part of Eliza’s  _ assistance _ . “If I agreed to marry her.”

Both were quiet for a few moments. Mrs. Collins stepped further into the room and asked in a whisper, “And the woman you love?”

Sidney couldn’t help but smile as he pictured Charlotte. “Yes, I love another. Mrs. Collins, I am not sure if I should be telling you this, but there is a plan in place to free me from this engagement, orchestrated by some influential figures of the Beau Monde. Though, with Mrs. Campion in such a state and moving the wedding day up, I do not see how she will release me from this engagement. I feel it is a lost cause.”

Mrs. Collins took in Mr. Parker’s look of utter disappointment and she fought the urge to take hold of his hand to comfort him. She took a deep breath instead and said in a reassuring tone, “Mr. Parker, I will agree that it does not seem likely, but know that you have someone rooting for you in this household. Mrs. Campion is not herself at the moment, perhaps when she wakes she will be a new person, one who sees reason and who sympathizes with others.” She laughed and then apologized, saying, “I am sorry, that is not kind, not to Mrs. Campion, nor you. I have not slept either.”

“Mrs. Collins, it’s fine, please, go and get some rest yourself. We both know there is not much that can be done now and it is a good idea for you to rest while Mrs. Campion rests. Take advantage of that reprieve. I will show myself out.” Mrs. Collins thanked him and Sidney waited until she was upstairs for him to retire from the drawing room and make his way to the door. He closed the door and leaned his back on it, cursing, and thinking, “What the hell can be done now?”

  
  


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Mrs. Campion was not the only one with a visitor after breakfast. Shortly after Charlotte and Susan finished breakfast, an unplanned visitor arrived at Lady Susan’s residence. 

Charlotte and Susan were sat in the drawing room where Susan was responding to some correspondence and Charlotte was reading. The footman appeared, announcing Lord Sutterfield’s arrival. Susan instructed for him to be shown in.

Susan seemed pleased as she smiled and Charlotte put her book down, eager to see Lord Sutterfield and hear his reasoning for his arrival. She was much more at ease knowing that he knew of her attachment to Sidney and she did find she took pleasure in his company. 

Lord Sutterfield entered and bowed, “Ladies, I hope you are doing well today. I apologize for coming unannounced, but I found myself wanting to reassure you both that I can be of use in this plan. Also, I have been fond of teasing Mrs. Campion for some time.”

Charlotte stood, “No. This is what I expressly do not want. I don’t want anyone to be fooled or duped. This is my life. This plan claims to be on my behalf but I have had no say in anything and my wishes do not seem to be taken into consideration. I appreciate that so many have taken an interest in aiding in my path to happiness with Mr. Parker, but I refuse to allow that path to be one of deception. That is not how I want to achieve happiness. I do not want my future joy to come at the cost of the downfall of another person. I refuse to allow it. I am putting my foot down.” She had a look of determination on her face as she stood resolutely with her hands in fists at her sides. Lady Susan had stood during Charlotte’s speech and smiled at her now. Lord Sutterfield seemed to be struggling to hold back laughter. Charlotte shot him a look of disbelief and that seemed to make Lord Sutterfield lose all control as he let out a burst of laughter. 

“ I apologize Miss Heywood, but you are quite adorable when angry.”

Charlotte scoffed and sat back down in anger.

“I am sorry, Miss Heywood, I do not mean to belittle your wishes. I find your wishes to be admirable and I will respect them. I may not agree with it and I do not believe that Mrs. Campion deserves the courtesy you wish to show her, but I respect you and will do as you wish. I am helping in this task simply because I believe you deserve to find your happy ending. I do not really care for anyone else involved in this plan, but I do respect you. Therefore, I respect your wishes. I will try to be on my best behavior and make others believe that I am ardently enamored with you.”

Lord Sutterfield’s speech did not quite relieve Charlotte’s unease, but she acquiesced in his participation of the plan. She still felt a little guilty that so many were willing to scheme on her and Sidney’s behalf. “I do not know what I have done for your loyalty, Lord Sutterfield, but thank you.”

Lord Sutterfield smiled and replied, “Miss Heywood, you simply needed to be yourself, that is all it took.”

Susan looked on, observing the pair, and unease crept into her mind also. She was worried that Gabriel truly did love Charlotte and that he may not come out of this plan unscathed. For the first time she felt skeptical of this plan, for now she feared no matter the outcome, people she cared for may not all find happiness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry about the rushed writing.
> 
> Also, thank you for the hilarious guesses of Eliza waiting in a wedding gown. That Friends moment would be something. Ironically enough, as I wrote part of this chapter, I was watching Friends and that episode came on. I thought it may have been a sign to write it that way, but I still took it in another direction as I had planned! 
> 
> I do believe the end of this story is in sight. I do not foresee it being too many more chapters.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter. How will things move forward now?

**Chapter 23**

  
  
  


While Sidney had been visiting with a less than lucid Mrs. Campion and Lady Susan and Charlotte had Lord Sutterfield dropping in, Lady Gilmer had received a note. The contents of this note troubled her, but that unease did not last too long, for she quickly laughed it off. Though, the laugh only managed to be a short chuckle as she then soon muttered, “Damn, I have to throw a dinner party.”

Lady Gilmer had a busy day and a half. For as soon as she had received the note, from a reputable source, that informed her of Mrs. Campion’s attempts to secure a special license to marry within two weeks’ time, Lady Gilmer had gotten to work. She had worked to invite people to London and arrange for their travel as well as accommodations of some surprise guests. She had looked over the menu and the invitations of those already in London. She had seen to everything that made her despise hosting and planning a gathering. On the morning of the dinner party, just two days after receiving word of Mrs. Campion’s plan, Lady Gilmer had to admit she felt doubtful. Doubtful of whether or not this last ditch effort would succeed, whether or not she should have invited some of the guests she had, but seeing as a surprise guest was already upstairs, it was too late for that. It was all put into motion, no turning back now she thought, all that was left was to see in which direction the evening would lead. She would be lying if she did not admit that the idea of the unpredictable nature of this evening did not thrill her the tiniest bit.

  
  


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Eliza had opened her eyes to a room being threatened to be swallowed up by darkness soon as she woke at dusk. Her head felt foggy as she laid there trying to remember what brought her to bed and to cause her to sleep most of the day away. Scenes started coming back to her in bits, the first being how she had slapped Lord Sutterfield at the Opera. She winced, feeling guilty for her actions, though she was certain she felt no regrets that previous evening. She remembered Lady Babbington’s accusatory questions next and thought how she would truly never enjoy being in her company. She found she barely remembered anything of Sidney from the night, though she then remembered seeing him earlier in the day, today. Eliza closed her eyes, picturing it, when she suddenly sat upright in bed, immediately making her dizzy. She glanced to her left to where her dressing table was located and looked in the mirror. She gasped and brought her hand to cover her mouth. She then moved her hand to her bloodshot eyes as her other hand went to her disheveled hair. She closed her eyes and sighed. She remembered then that the wedding had been moved up as she recalled snippets of her and Sidney’s earlier conversation and she moved to get out of bed, knowing there was plenty to be accomplished. She rested her hand on the nightstand to help her rise and as she did so, her gaze once again fell to the mirror. She sat there, taking in her state: wearing last night’s gown, rumpled and disorderly, makeup smeared with tired, red-rimmed eyes, her hair knotted and mussed and she asked aloud to an empty room, “Who are you?”

  
  


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It did not take long for word to travel about the wedding of Mr. Sidney Parker and Mrs. Eliza Campion being moved up. Some scrambled to shuffle plans around in order to ensure their attendance at what was certain to be one of the social events of the year. Some, however, could not ignore the rumblings that were also spreading, those questioning the sanity of one Mrs. Eliza Campion. The latter held off on changing any arrangements, knowing from experience how uncertain special licenses were to acquire and they were also ones who always found Mrs. Campion to be somewhat lacking in merit. The latter may have been the smaller group, but some certainly did not lack high societal standing. 

The news of the fast approaching wedding date did not take long to reach Lady Susan’s ears and as she walked into the library and found Charlotte sitting on the window seat, book in lap, she hoped Charlotte had not heard any of the talk. Susan had come to inform Charlotte about the invitation to a dinner at Lady Gilmer’s the next evening, but struggled with the weight of the decision of whether or not to inform Charlotte of the reason behind this last minute party. Both Lady Gilmer and Susan knew this would be one of the last efforts to see their plan succeed if indeed the wedding would take place in two weeks. Susan stepped into the room further and noticed Charlotte’s eyes leave the page, but they did not meet hers, they moved to look out the window. 

“Charlotte, …”

“I know. I heard. No need to sound so forlorn, Susan. I have already accepted defeat. Mrs. Campion is going to win this race, just as she intended. I hope you do not object to my earlier return home. I do not wish to be here in a couple of weeks.”

“My dear, I would say nothing of the sort. This is not done quite yet. The license is not ensured as of yet. I was only coming to inform you that we have received an invitation to a dinner party at Lady Gilmer’s. For tomorrow evening.”

Charlotte had closed her eyes as she resolutely responded, “No. Please, no. I would imagine, as Lady Gilmer has stated how much she hates to entertain, that this is yet again another event to play parts and schemes. It is done. It is time that we all accept that because I can no longer hold onto hope only to have it continue to be dashed.”

“We can see about an earlier return home for you after tomorrow evening, for the Charlotte I met over the summer would never give up on ensuring a friend’s happiness. Therefore, if you will not fight for your own happiness, others must do it for you, just as you fought to ensure Georgiana’s safety.”

“That is completely different, Susan…” Charlotte had turned to face Susan for the first time since Susan had entered the library but she found the room empty. She closed her eyes once again and brought her forehead forward to rest on the cold window pane. The book on her lap slid forward, remaining open on the page Charlotte had read over and over, a quote sticking out to her. The title of the book had jumped out at Charlotte as she perused the shelves. She had stolen away to the library after overhearing several members of Susan’s staff discuss the rumors of how Mrs. Campion had moved the wedding date up and that it would take place in just two weeks. Charlotte did not cry, she found she did not wish to scream or run, she knew this was a possibility this entire time. At the time, if she had to describe how she felt, she may respond that she felt empty. If she were to cry, her sobs would echo in the empty shell she felt she was. For she felt she had nothing left to give. Which is why, when she read the titles of the books and The Crimes of Love by Marquis De Sade appeared to her on the shelf, she thought of what she, Sidney, and even Eliza may be willing to do in the name of love. So she pulled the book from its spot on the shelf and wandered to the window seat. The words on the pages would not focus. Charlotte thought she was just tired, mentally and emotionally exhausted. It took a tear slowly falling down her cheek for her to realize the words would not focus due to unshed tears. She had almost given up on the prospect of reading until a word caught her eye and she read further, ‘Those who are unhappy clutch at shadows, and to give themselves an enjoyment that truth refuses them, they artfully bring into being all sorts of illusions.’ 

She had not thought of herself, but the quote reminded her of someone else, someone she would rather not think of at the moment. Which is why, when the book slid off her lap after Susan had departed and remained open, Charlotte, with her forehead still resting on the window, snapped it shut.

  
  
  


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Lady Gilmer stood at the bottom of the stairs, turning her face upwards at the sound of skirts at the top of the stairs. “Are you ready for this evening, my dear?,” she asked with a smile and glint of humor in her eyes.

As the young woman descended the stairs, she returned Lady Gilmer’s smile with a sly one of her own as she responded, “As ready as I’ll ever be, Lady Gilmer. Let the evening commence.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written in a bit of a rush again, I apologize for any typos and I did not get to edit as much as I would have liked. The staying up until midnight writing was not working, so I have very little time for writing, but as I said, we are approaching the end.
> 
> To make up for a short chapter and the rare updates to the story, I am sharing with you a playlist of songs that have inspired some writing, reminded me of Sidlotte, Sidney, or Charlotte. So, here are some of the songs on a playlist of which I promised to share on Twitter. 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0P1xGVcDPCm5bLiyzvKBiq?si=VCqYJJnkQpKUg7OCdaymsA
> 
> Sometimes I need no distractions while writing, other times I can write with music on or the tv on in the background.
> 
> Also, I've dropped little, tiny hints as to something that is developing...


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has been my longest absence. Life has been quite busy and I also had a bit of writer's block.
> 
> So, here is Chapter 24... We discover who the surprise guest is and we also gather with some familiar guests we haven't seen yet in this story.
> 
> Let's get this dinner party started!

**Chapter 24**

Sidney was curious the moment he received Lady Gilmer’s invitation, for he felt it was certainly not a coincidence that he should receive a rather last minute invitation to a dinner party hosted by Lady Gilmer. He knew something was up. Later that same day, he received a missive from Mrs. Campion stating that they would attend the dinner together, and that further cemented Sidney’s assumption that this dinner party was yet again another attempt to succeed in the plan to free him of his engagement. Therefore, he sent a missive of his own, ensuring that someone else be in attendance who may have been left off the guest list. He didn’t think Lady Gilmer would mind too much, after all, this guest was most certainly an ally and could be quite useful. As a result, he felt no guilt when he addressed a request for the presence of one Mr. Francis Crowe.

\----------------------------------------------

  
  


Charlotte smoothed the skirt of her new dress nervously as she stood looking at her reflection in the mirror, dreading the evening ahead. Her dress was a pale blue, an extravagance granted her by Lady Susan. Charlotte thought the dress was beautiful but she herself felt anything but self assured about this evening. She was done with the ploys and deceit. She did not want an evening dealing with Mrs. Campion’s ire. She sighed, thinking how she did not wish to partake in this dinner party but also that she could not wait to arrive in order to see Sidney. She was contemplating how two such different emotions could war in her mind jousting for position when Susan appeared in the mirror behind her. 

“You look absolutely stunning, Charlotte. That blue suits you quite well.”

“Thank you, Susan. You have been far too generous to me.”

“Think nothing of it, my dear. It has been an absolute joy to spoil you just the tiniest bit.” Susan walked closer to Charlotte and spoke as she advanced. “Now, Charlotte, I am not sure of any plans tonight, to be exact. I know that Mrs. Campion and Mr. Parker will be in attendance, but I myself do not know the entire guest list nor of any plans. It could very well be that Lady Gilmer wants to gather certain guests and see what transpires, all on its own.”

Charlotte turned around to face Susan, a solemn look on her face. “That does not make me feel any better, Susan.”

Susan lightly grasped Charlotte’s upper arms. “It simply means to enjoy yourself this evening. Do not think of ulterior motives, just try to have a nice evening. Now, are you ready, my dear? Let us go and enjoy a nice evening with Lady Gilmer, she is surely guaranteed to be entertaining enough to make this evening worth it.”

  
  


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When Eliza received the invitation to Lady Gilmer’s dinner party, she was tempted to decline. She was busy planning and had no mood to be in the company of those she was fairly certain were very much against her marrying Sidney. Though, she knew Lady Gilmer and Lady Susan, who she knew was also certain to be in attendance, held quite a bit of clout in the beau monde. Therefore, she reluctantly sent word of her attendance and sent Sidney a missive that he would surely escort her. She requested that he retrieve her so that they may arrive together, showing a strong union. 

Now, on the day of the gathering, as she sat at her dressing table, looking at her reflection, Eliza tried to clamp down the anger she had felt all day. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the crumpled paper on the floor that she had just recently noticed. Until a few moments ago, she had no idea where it had ended up after she crushed it in her hands and threw it towards the window, perhaps hoping that the window would open on its own, carry the letter and its contents away, rendering the words untrue, having never existed at all, even.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes, she saw the reflection she was used to. A smile that she did not genuinely feel, but beautiful nonetheless and perfectly coiffed hair and piercing blue eyes. Gone was the girl who woke in her bed at dusk the other day looking dishevelled and crazed, gone was the girl who felt weak and doubted her own intentions. She saw herself in this reflection, a woman with determination. She stood, trying to squash the thought in the back of her mind that despite what she saw in the mirror, in a far corner of her mind, doubts lingered, trying to force themselves to the forefront.

  
  


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Lady Gilmer observed her guest from afar, taking in her beauty and elegance. She had heard many stories about this young woman and most tales intrigued her for she seemed to be of a similar nature of herself. Having met her for the first time merely only a few hours ago, Lady Gilmer liked what she had noticed thus far. As she observed her guest, she began making her way to Lady Gilmer. 

“Well, Miss Lambe, is everything to your satisfaction? Do you think the evening will be a successful one and be an entertaining one for all guests in attendance?”

“Oh, Lady Gilmer, I believe that your guest list alone is enough to make this evening a rather lively event. Especially with what you have told me transpired on the evening of the Opera. I can surely make it exciting by speaking my mind to certain guests, but I am mainly here for moral support for Charlotte. She has been the most kind friend to me and I simply look forward to seeing her once again.”

Lady Gilmer stood with her hands clasped in front of her, a smile on her face, as she responded, “She is quite remarkable, is she not?”

“She surely is. She has helped save my life. More than once. Which is why I agreed to come, to be of support for her.”

Lady Gilmer smiled and responded, “That is precisely why I invited you, Miss Lambe. And perhaps to be a subtle, or not so subtle, reminder of an aspect of Mr. Parker’s life that Mrs. Campion may be less than enthused with and the fact that you are close with Charlotte is just another wonderful detail. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Miss Lambe, I have to go and begin to greet my guests.”

  
  


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“How upset will she be when she sees me in the carriage? Will she scream? What do you think?” Crowe asked Sidney.

“Crowe, I honestly have no idea. You did not see her the other day. I may not love her, but I was concerned about her. I only hope she has regained some semblance of the Mrs. Campion we know.”

Crowe grimaced, “Do you truly, though? Perhaps this breakdown has caused her to gain a heart, emotions, or maybe even remorse over what she has forced upon you.”

“Judging by her letter requesting me to accompany her this evening, it seems she has regained her former frame of mind… Cold, calculating, and demanding. I think we will be greeted by a familiar Mrs. Campion. I honestly hope that is the case. I can deal with that. As far as your presence, I can not predict how she will react, but she will not look at it favorably, of that I am sure. Which is just another reason as to why I insisted you attend.”

“Glad to be of service, Parker. This should be an interesting evening… I can’t wait.”

At that precise moment, the carriage stopped in front of the Campion residence and Sidney exited to meet Mrs. Campion and assist her. A few moments later Mrs. Campion was being helped into the carriage and Crowe met her with a large smile on his face and it grew when he noticed her apparent surprise and displeasure.

“Mrs. Campion, don’t you look splendid this evening, so… put together,” Crowe greeted her coyly.

As Eliza took her seat and Sidney entered, sitting next to Crowe, she had forced a smile back on her face as she greeted Crowe. “Mr. Crowe, I did not know you were accompanying us this evening. What an unexpected surprise.” She threw a look at Sidney that displayed her unhappiness.

“I invited him, thinking it an oversight that he was left off the guest list,” Sidney offered.

Eliza looked at Sidney in shock. “He was not even invited? Sidney, what are you thinking?”

“Oh come now, Mrs. Campion, you know you love a gathering more when I am present. I have a way about me. Undeniable charm.”

Eliza steeled her face and turned to look out the window. Sidney and Crowe exchanged a glance and a shrug of shoulders. No remaining words were spoken for the remainder of the thankfully short carriage ride to Lady Gilmer’s.

  
  


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Lady Gilmer had now welcomed Lord Sutterfield, the Babingtons, and just recently Mr. Sidney Parker, his betrothed, a quite cross Mrs. Campion, along with an uninvited Mr. Crowe. Mr. Parker apologized for the late addition with a smirk on his face that stated that he truly felt no remorse for this intrusion. Lady Gilmer may have griped, but she noticed how Mrs. Campion had grimaced and rolled her eyes when Sidney was attempting to explain himself and that was the only incentive Lady Gilmer needed to accept Mr. Crowe into her home, with a thought to warn the staff to be on their guard of candles and drapery. As the three newly arrived guests left her presence and she noticed Mrs. Campion’s angry stance and distance from Mr. Crowe, Lady Gilmer cursed herself for not being aware of the woman’s disdain of the man or else she would have invited him herself. Yes, she was not angry about Mr. Crowe’s unexpected attendance in the least now. Therefore, she was in a wonderful mood when her next guests arrived.

“Ah, Mr. Parker, Miss Parker, I assume.” She had never met the younger siblings of Mr. Sidney Parker, but she had heard a little of them. People often spoke of their silly tendencies and their penchant for health concerns and ailments and the various methods of recovering from said ailments. 

“Lady Gilmer, what an honor it is to have been invited this evening and to make your acquaintance,” an out of breath Arthur Parker greeted Lady Gilmer. “I am Mr. Arthur Parker and this is my sister, Miss Diana Parker, we have just made quite the journey, we were visiting a new doctor in York and have come straight here. We did not even stop at Bedford Place. We stopped at an Inn a bit ago to eat and refresh, but we are most parched and famished and my sister is quite fatigued.”

“Lady Gilmer, lovely to meet you. I am tired and restless after our journey, but we feel much refreshed after our treatments in York, have you ever heard of…”

Lady Gilmer interrupted, saying, “Mr. Parker, Miss Parker, it sounds like quite a trip and journey, I look forward to hearing more about it, but please have some refreshments and reacquaint yourselves with the guests you surely know and perhaps someone new in Lord Sutterfield. I am sorry to rush you along, but more guests are arriving. The job of a hostess is never done.” She turned, smiling, not being troubled by their talkative demeanor, on the contrary, she actually found it quite entertaining, but could understand how it could be somewhat annoying after a considerable amount of time. She smiled for she felt their attendance would certainly serve its purpose this evening. She did not lie to get rid of them, she did notice Susan and Charlotte were arriving as Diana had been preparing to regale her with some new treatment.

“Here they are, the guests I have most looked forward to greeting, and also the last guests to arrive this evening. A little late, Susan.” Lady Gilmer teasingly chastised her dear friend.

Susan took it in stride and replied, “Lady Gilmer, I always do my best to arrive fashionably late and when you say that we are your favorite guests, I see it as Charlotte and I arriving on time whereas the rest of the guests arrived early.”

“I never said ‘favorite’, Lady Susan.”

Susan took the arm of her dear friend and began to lead the three of them out of the entryway as she responded, “Ah, you’ll have to forgive me, I hear the truth under disguised words quite well.” 

Lady Gilmer laughed and was already quite pleased with the evening. It was just beginning, though, she knew not where this evening would lead. She had an intended purpose, but she had hoped the assembled guests would carry out her purpose simply by being themselves. Lady Gilmer turned to Charlotte, behind her and Susan, and apologized for her lack of greeting. “Charlotte, I am sorry. Our friend here is dragging me away before giving you a proper greeting. However, I do believe there is a guest in attendance who is quite eager to see you again and you may notice some other friendly faces here this evening.” Lady Gilmer stepped to the side, revealing Georgiana and Charlotte gasped before hastily making her way towards her friend.

Susan took a look around and spoke in a low whisper, “I see the event this evening is quite intimate and as I look around as to who you have invited, I feel I must ask, what is your intention for this evening?”

“Susan, I simply want our guests to mingle and enjoy themselves, feeling comfortable enough to be themselves this evening.” She smiled at the assembled guests, taking in Georgiana and Charlotte embracing before Charlotte moved to embrace Diana and Arthur Parker, who were standing with Georgiana. Lady Gilmer noticed Sidney Parker doing his best to stare at the contents in his glass rather than stare at the object of his affection as he stood with the Babingtons. Mrs. Campion, on the other hand, made no attempt to hide her contempt for Charlotte as she openly stared at her in anger off to the side, standing all by herself. Lady Gilmer’s eyes then turned a fraction to follow Lord Sutterfield, with two drinks in hand, one for himself, the other seemingly for Charlotte as he approached her to greet her.

“Yes, Susan, I think this evening could go very well. Very well, indeed.”

  
  


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Sidney, Mrs. Campion, and Crowe walked into the drawing room after their arrival and Crowe made a beeline for the drinks. Sidney had noticed Georgiana’s presence right away and a smile broke out on his face. They had warmed to each other the past few weeks. Their relationship was not entirely thawed, but was definitely warmer than it had been.

“Georgiana, I had no idea you would be here this evening. As your guardian, I should be upset about being kept in the dark about your trip to London, but I am happy to see you. Though, where are you staying?”

Georgiana begrudgingly smiled as she greeted her guardian. “Sidney, I am staying here, as a guest of Lady Gilmer, she arranged all my travels and stay.” She turned to Mrs. Campion, who stood with her hand clasped on Sidney’s arm. “Mrs. Campion, how nice to see you again and might I add that you look rather beautiful and remark how bold it is of you to wear last season’s style so proudly.”

Mrs. Campion glared, “Georgiana, how nice it is to see you again, it feels it has been so long since my last trip to Sanditon. How are you doing after the object of your desire turned out to be nothing more than a scoundrel who threw your name onto a gambling table to pay his debts?” Sidney glared in her direction, but Eliza stared steadfastly at Georgiana with cold disdain.

Georgiana flinched, almost imperceptibly, but was not one to be bested. Sidney prepared himself for Georgiana’s retort. He considered changing the subject or dragging Eliza away, but he found that he did not want to deny Georgiana the chance to respond to Eliza’s cruelty.

Georgiana stood tall and responded with a coldness to her voice, “I am doing quite well, Mrs. Campion. Please, though, I am Miss Lambe to you. I must ask, how are you doing? Considering that you threw your own name and money into a deal to engage a man who does not love you and only needs your money to save his family. How are you dealing with that?”

Eliza turned and walked away. Sidney looked at Georgiana. “I am sorry Sidney, I did not intend to be so cruel or to even bring you into it, but she intended to strike a nerve with her question and I would not back down from that.”

“Georgiana, I am not angry in the least. You should, however, discuss this with Lady Babington. I believe the two of you would have a good laugh about it and she could tell you about her ruthlessness at the Opera the other evening. Come, let us go and greet them.” Sidney offered Georgiana his arm and she took it with a smile on her face.

  
  


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Eliza stood off to the side, sipping a drink, glaring in the direction of Sidney who stood next to Georgiana with the Babingtons. They were all laughing and smiling. So at ease with one another. At that precise moment, Arthur and Diana Parker made their boisterous entrance into the drawing room. Eliza took a large gulp of her drink and rolled her eyes. “Could those two be any more ridiculous?” she wondered. Sidney embraced his siblings, clearly surprised with their attendance. Eliza looked at the group and realized that most of these people she would never be able to rid from her life. Georgiana was Sidney’s charge and it was a long while before she came of age. Arthur and Diana were his siblings, she could certainly insist on seeing them less, but there was no way she could cut them from his life permanently, at least that she could think of. Lord and Lady Babington may be the easiest to remove, she was no stranger to putting a wedge between friendships. She simply needed time to work that one out. She sighed, thinking of the energy it would entail, though. She dragged her eyes away from them all and noticed Mr. Crowe making his way to them. She audibly groaned, thinking of him. He would be easily removed. He is a friend of a bachelor, not a friend of a married man. That friendship would peter out on its own. Her eyes settled on Lord Sutterfield, alone by the refreshments, and his words from the other evening crept back into her mind. As if her mind was further punishing her, Lady Susan entered the room just then with Lady GIlmer with Miss Heywood behind them. She noticed Georgiana’s eyes light up as she gasped in excitement and the same of Charlotte and they rushed to greet one another. 

Sidney had moved aside with the Babingtons at this point, but she noticed how he struggled not to openly stare at her and noticed his face light up. Lord Sutterfield’s eyes also lit up as Eliza noticed him now making his way to greet Miss Heywood. It all made her sick. How could this farm girl gain such admiration from all these people. All these people who barely tolerated her seemed to love Miss Heywood. Eliza stood there, anger rising inside her and she tried to calm her thoughts by looking down into her drink. Her mind was wandering to other worries now and she looked up again to distract herself with anything, but again saw all the joyful people at this gathering while she was miserable. Eliza suddenly felt so out of place, so alone and this overwhelming feeling sent her walking out of the room, placing her drink on a table and dashing out to find solace in the first empty room she came across. As she opened a door across the hall and found the room to be empty, she immediately took a deep breath and closed the door behind her. She felt tears threatening to fall, but she was determined not to allow that to happen. How did it come to this? How did all of this become such a mess? She truly thought that Sidney would be showing some affection, and would have fallen into some of his old habits by now. At least not showing such contempt towards her. She had underestimated his feelings for Miss Heywood and now she was overcome with the realization that those he considered close friends and even his family hated her and seemed to be enamored with Miss Heywood. She felt a crushing weight of how awful she felt in the company of these people and thought of how marrying Sidney meant she would have to deal with these feelings for quite some time and how long it would take to overcome them. It was at that moment that she heard someone clear their throat.

Eliza jumped and nearly shrieked as she noticed Lord Sutterfield across the room.

“Sorry to startle you, Mrs. Campion.”

“I just saw you in the drawing room, how did you manage to make it to this room so quickly?”

Lord Sutterfield smiled, “I was with Miss Lambe and Miss Heywood, that is correct, but Miss Lambe made it quite clear that it was her time to catch up with her friend and that I was most unwelcome. I did not feel like mingling with any other guests at that moment so I decided to seek some seclusion. I assume you had similar thoughts.”

“I find the guests to be somewhat of a nuisance, so I decided to also seek some reprieve.”

“And you come across me, someone else I am sure you would rather not be in the company of. I will leave you be, Mrs. Campion. If I may though, I do apologize for the other evening. I said some harsh words and I am afraid my only excuse is that you happened upon me at a weak moment. I am sorry to have caused you any anguish that evening.”

Eliza looked down, feeling shame for having slapped him after his harsh words at the Opera. She looked back up to meet his eyes with a sad smile. “Lord Sutterfield, I believe we were both at our lowest points at that time that evening. I would much rather forget about it.”

“It might be a little hard to forget that slap, but I can certainly try.” Lord Sutterfeild chuckled. He looked at Mrs. Campion, observing her and thought that she was not a kind woman, but he did feel some sympathy for her. He felt life had maybe not always treated her well and perhaps she was a product of many years of cruelty and thinking love was conditional and a business. “Against my better judgement, for I do not seek another meeting of your palm and my cheek, but may I ask… How are you doing? You seem rather distressed.”

“Well, Lord Sutterfield, I find myself questioning many things. Normally I am quite self-assured and know my plans will succeed for I accept nothing else. For the first time in quite a while, I fear my plans are falling apart around me and that I am losing control. I find regaining control is not my main concern, however. My main concern is whether or not I should abandon my plan altogether. It is not in my nature to concede a race, but I find myself wondering if I am even a part of the race anymore. Was I taken out of the running?”

Lord Sutterfield made his way over to Mrs. Campion and offered her his arm. “Mrs. Campion, those are some weighty thoughts. May I suggest you get through this evening and sleep on it. Allow me to accompany you to dinner and you do your best to take this evening one course at a time.” 

Lord Sutterfield offered her such a genuine smile and for the first time in days, Eliza did not feel so alone or out of control. She nodded, accepted his arm, and they left the study together and Eliza had made up her mind that she would make a decision tonight. Did she want to win this race or did she want to accept defeat? She concluded that this dinner may have a lot to do with the decision she would make. She left the room with clear eyes and a mind to be observant and weigh her options.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not edit this chapter as much as I would have liked, but I struggled through some writer's block with this one, so I felt I was overthinking quite a lot of it. I decided it best just to post it, so I am sorry.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. I thank you for taking the time to read this story when there are so many wonderful options out there. I look forward to any comments you may have!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First, I must apologize for the long wait. Real life... you get it.
> 
> Now, let us continue with this dinner party. Remember, Eliza has been granted a preview of her possible future this evening and she has a decision to make.

**Chapter 25**

Lady Gilmer had long deliberated the seating arrangement for this evening’s soiree. She had a number of options that she contemplated. She could make some quite happy, she could make some miserable or at least uncomfortable. When she was nearing a decision, a new one had come to her, an idea popping into her mind inspired by the night at the Opera and she decided to act on this idea, hoping that it would not backfire. With that, she had the seating arrangement settled. 

Now that she sat at the head of the table soon after the dinner had begun, and though Crowe did throw her seating arrangement for a bit of a loop and into an uneven number, which bothered her, she was even pleased with the spot he now occupied, which happened to be the opposite head of the table. He happened to be quite entertaining and thought it oddly fitting to have him in a prominent position, when really it was the only arrangement that did not have one side of the table uneven to the opposite. Some liked to seat couples across from one another, but she was more of the mind to have them seated next to one another. Therefore, Lord and Lady Babington sat next to each other, as did Sidney and Charlotte. Lady Gilmer wondered if anyone would notice this and if they would even notice how she had placed Lord Sutterfield next to Mrs. Campion. She expertly placed them however, so that Mrs. Campion was seated across from Mr. Sidney Parker and Miss Heywood was seated across from Lord Sutterfield. She had covered her tracks. 

As it was, to her right sat Lady Babington, Lord Babington, Mrs. Campion, Lord Sutterfield, and Miss Diana Parker. To Lady Gilmer’s left sat Lady Susan, Mr. Sidney Parker, Miss Charlotte Heywood, Miss Georgiana Lambe and Mr. Arthur Parker. As she met the eyes of Mr. Francis Crowe at the end opposite her, she smiled, thinking she had made the absolute right decision. At least, as of right now. The night was still young.

  
  


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Lady Gilmer was the first to speak after dinner had been served, turning her attention to Miss Diana Parker as she inquired about what treatment she began to discuss upon her arrival. Eliza had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She instead looked down at her plate and did her best to tune out whatever asinine subject Miss Parker was sure to prattle on about. While Miss Parker continued to speak, Eliza moved her gaze around the table. She looked across from her at Sidney and she smiled. He truly was still quite handsome. She recalled how pleased she was to see he had only gotten better looking within the past ten years when she saw him once again at Mrs. Maudsley’s. Reminiscing on this scene, however, only led her thoughts to with whom Sidney had been dancing when she first saw him after ten years and this led her eyes to the seat next to Sidney. She looked at Miss Charlotte Heywood and tried to push away the deep contempt she felt for her. Eliza attempted to look at her with fresh eyes, as if she was observing her for the first time and was not aware that her fiance was in fact in love with her. She scrutinized her appearance, reluctantly admitting that she had a beauty to her, a simple one at that, but a freshness to her as she was young. Eliza now tried to push aside her resentment of her youth at the moment. She was dressed beautifully, she had to admit, though Eliza was sure that was Lady Susan’s doing. Just then Miss Heywood laughed at something Diana had said and she noticed how Sidney glanced quickly at her with a smile she rarely had ever seen on him before, certainly not since she had been reacquainted with him these last weeks. They quickly looked away from one another. It would have gone unnoticed by anyone who was not studying them so closely. Though, she then noticed both reaching for their glasses at the same time and their hands brushing. Eliiza observed the flush that fell upon Miss Heywood and how Sidney allowed his hand to linger on hers, his fingers subtly twitching. Gone was the notion of pretending to know nothing of their feelings for one another. Eliza had to swallow her anger and she was ready to declare right then and there that the wedding would continue, that she would most certainly claim Sidney as her own.

As Eliza took an angry swig of her drink, Lord Sutterfield spoke in a whisper next to her, leaning close to her side, “Mrs. Campion, how are you feeling now?” Eliza detected sympathy in his voice and a tenderness in his eyes and it only made her feel worse. Therefore, she glared at him in response. Then, her face turned to one of shock as he chuckled. He had to put his hand over his mouth so as to not draw too much attention to how much he was laughing at her cutting glare, at least what she thought to be a cutting glare.

When he could manage to speak, he sputtered, “I apologize Mrs. Campion, I do not mean to laugh at you. Now, if you see it fit to continue to converse with me, may I ask the reason for such a deathly stare?” Eliza noticed how he struggled not to laugh again and the slight sarcasm behind the word ‘deathly.’

She scoffed and responded in a whisper, “I do not take kindly to being mocked or made fun of, Lord Sutterfield. Perhaps it would be best if we did not speak the rest of the evening.” She meant her words but she could not deny the disappointment she felt if that were to be the case. Lord Sutterfield may have seen the momentary displeasure in her features for he then asked, quite seriously, “Are you not tired of these… counterfeit emotions?” Luckily, Eliza did not have to respond, for at that moment, Diana Parker had finally ceased talking about the latest in medical marvels and the topic of conversation had switched from Miss Parker to Miss Georgiana Lambe. Eliza’s attention piqued when she heard something that pertained to her in the question from Lady Gilmer… “Now, Miss Lambe, you are Mr. Parker’s ward, you will surely be living with him and his new wife after the marriage, will you not?”

Eliza had not yet pondered this possibility. Truth be told, she had not given Miss Lambe much thought at all, she had nearly forgotten all about her. After Miss Lambe’s accusatory question earlier in the evening, Eliza surmised that ignoring Miss Lambe’s presence would be the best for her well-being. Therefore, she listened intently for Miss Lambe’s response, eager and curious to hear the response and grateful to be reprieved of answering Lord Sutterfield’s question.

  
  


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Georgiana straightened up and hoped her smile was not too devilish. “Lady Gilmer, I have yet to discuss this with my guardian, but I would love nothing more than to live with Mr. Parker and his new wife once they are married. I do long to be out of the controlling ways of Mrs. Griffiths and to be once again in London. I believe Mr. Parker’s new wife and I would have so much fun attending gatherings together.” Georgiana wondered if she was being too obvious, leaving Mrs. Campion’s name out of the conversation and only referring to Sidney’s wife as just that, his ‘new wife.’ For Georgiana was most certainly not referring to Mrs. Campion, she was referring to Charlotte. 

“Lady Gilmer,” Georgina continued, “if I am being honest, I have longed for some lively female companionship. Sidney and I have our disagreements and though, yes, I admit we have come a long way and I sometimes view him as the big brother I never had nor ever wished for, but I believe Sidney could use another hand in trying to make me see reason, is that not right, Sidney?” She turned to her guardian, leaning forward a bit, with the sweetest smile on her face.

Sidney smiled, laughed and answered, “You can be quite a handful, there is no doubt about that.” Georgiana smiled in return and looked to Lady Gilmer once again, conceding, “I am not easily managed, Lady Gilmer, nor have I ever been good at being told what to do.”

Lady Gilmer looked at Georgiana fondly and said. “Neither was I, Miss Lambe and I must say, life was more fun for it.” Lady Gilmer laughed a hearty laugh and Sidney groaned, “Please, don’t encourage her.” This earned a round of laughter from the table. Georgiana laughed along, feeling quite happy that her relationship with Sidney had improved. It was not easy to let go of all of her anger towards him, but she realized that most of her anger did not lie with Sidney, it was with others and also with her frustration at not being more in control of her own life. None of that was truly Sidney’s fault and through correspondence, Charlotte had helped her to see that. Charlotte also taught her that it is sometimes easier to be angry with those we know care for us because we can trust that they will still be there for us, no matter what. She suspected part of her anger resting solely on Sidney was because she knew now that he cared for her, and not just as guardian and ward, but she felt a brotherly connection to him. Letting go of the animosity and seeing a much improved Sidney had helped their relationship these past weeks and she did not want to lose the version of Sidney that Charlotte had brought out in him. When the laughter died down, Georgiana decided it was time to bring Mrs. Campion directly into the conversation.

Georgiana took a deep breath and looked directly at Mrs. Campion and asked, “Mrs. Campion will surely be of assistance in my mischievousness, lending me her expertise, won’t you, Mrs. Campion?”

Georgiana saw how Mrs. Campion swallowed and forced a smile before responding, “Miss Lambe, I am sure you will be on your guard against too risky of behavior, as I am sure you have learned your lesson.”

Georgiana did not show any sign of being affected by Mrs. Campion’s response, she knew that if she were to supply snide remarks, she should expect to receive them in return. Therefore, she was undeterred and continued, “Mrs. Campion, you are correct, I have learned from my mistakes and I am surely wiser for it, but one must still live life and I still endeavor to live a fun one. However, I do believe I will heed Mr. Parker’s advice more often now. I understand that he has my best interest at heart and regards my safety so I will do my best to adhere to most of his requests and I look forward to sharing his residence so that we may continue the kinship we have been building upon.” She looked to Sidney as she finished and had a genuine smile on her face, with a bit of surprise because she truly meant these words and no one was more surprised than she was. 

Sidney, a little surprised himself, smiled and said, “I look forward to it, Georgiana.”

Lady Gilmer looked quite pleased with herself and Georgiana could not help but feel Lady Gilmer was pleased partly for bringing her here this evening. Georgiana felt Lady Gilmer was a bit of a kindred spirit. Lady Gilmer then announced, “This group gathered has brought me much joy already this evening, now, Lord and Lady Babington, tell us of your recent travels.

  
  


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Eliza once again tuned out the conversation as she was not a part of it nor did she care to hear Lord and Lady Babington’s stories. In her mind was the thought of Miss Lambe referring to moving into ‘his’ residence, as they would surely be residing in her home as Sidney shared Bedford Place with the Parker siblings. She would see to it that Georgiana was not a permanent fixture in her home. Eliza was, however, proud of herself for not being too cruel in her response to Georgiana’s question, especially after Miss Lambe had included an underlying insinuation. Eliza was sure her restraint went unnoticed by the assembled guests. She gathered most of what she did tonight went unnoticed by those around her. She once again thought of Lord Sutterfield’s question before the conversation turned to include her. He had asked her if she was tired of counterfeit emotions. She had spent so much time in an unhappy marriage, gaining what she desired in life in return: Money, status, and social elevation. She was happy at times. When she was surrounded by people at events who listened to her intently, when they inquired about what she was wearing and threw praise at her feet, she truly never thought of the motives behind the people who offered her this attention. Why question people’s motives when you had finally earned what you had longed for? Though, now she looked around and she questioned the motives of Lady Gilmer and several others at this table and now that she was an afterthought, not the center of attention, she found ulterior motives to be quite unnerving. She found herself wondering if much of her life for the past decade had been real. She shook it off quickly, as she had said, she had gained what she wanted out of life, which is why she ventured to find happiness now in her life in a marriage with a man she knew once adored her. Although, perhaps her idea of happiness was warped. She found herself wondering if she ever felt true happiness. She was taught to seek money and status and that happiness would follow. Eliza believed it had but as she looked at the smiles of those gathered around her and the laughs they shared, she once again was struck with the realization that she may never have been genuinely happy. She had made her parents proud with her match and had a marriage quite like their own. Some days in the past ten years her mind would wander and she would think of what it would be like to be married to Sidney Parker instead, but she did not believe then that she would have been any happier. She asked herself now, would she be happier with him now that she had already achieved wealth and status? If she were being completely honest with herself, she must admit that happiness was not a large factor in her decision to pursue Sidney. She wanted to be adored as she once had been by him. She always believed it was better to be loved than to love another. She could be adored and spoiled and not have the concern of needing to reciprocate or get hurt in the process. That is what she truly wanted. She knew it. Could Sidney grow to love her again? Would he adore her as he once had? Eliza looked across the table at him once again, as he listened intently to his friends continue discussing their honeymoon. She believed then that she had come to her conclusion.

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say, I managed to post this due to the fire lit under my butt by @KeriJaneite. This chapter had one paragraph for weeks and yesterday I had some ideas and a random tweet made me put fingers to keyboard, so thank you! I may have also rushed home from school to revise and edit, so you know, excuse any typos and anything else because the kids got the best from me today, running on fumes right now. 
> 
> This chapter focused a lot on Eliza and I have to admit I never saw the story heading in that direction, but here we are. I have found myself wanting to write a bit of what goes on in her mind and I hope you don't mind.  
> As I have said, we are nearing the finish line of this race, thanks for sticking with me. Truly, each kudos, comment, and hit is appreciated more than you could ever know.


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